The U.S. secretary of state again insisted that “additional designations can be expected in the coming days and weeks”
EFE/14ymedio, Washington, May 14, 2026 — United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio once again lashed out at the Cuban Government this Wednesday, asserting that the Island is “controlled by a company owned by military generals,” in a new criticism amid Washington’s pressure on Havana, which has intensified in recent weeks.
“Wealth in Cuba is controlled by a company owned by military generals who keep all the money,” Rubio stated during an exclusive interview with Fox News, broadcast Wednesday night and recorded aboard Air Force 1 en route to China.
The head of U.S. diplomacy, who has Cuban roots, also warned that people in Cuba are currently “literally eating garbage off the streets” while at the same time the “company” that controls the Island has “16 billion dollars” at its disposal.
The head of U.S. diplomacy, who has Cuban roots, also warned that people in Cuba are currently “literally eating garbage off the streets”
Last week, the United States announced sanctions against the Cuban military conglomerate GAESA, its director, and Moa Nickel, a joint venture with the Canadian company Sherritt International, as part of actions aimed at strangling the Island’s economy amid threats by President Donald Trump to take control of the country.
These new “decisive measures” by Washington seek “to protect the national security of the United States and deprive Cuba’s communist regime and military forces of access to illicit assets,” Rubio said.
“Just 90 miles from U.S. territory, the Cuban regime has driven the Island into ruin and auctioned it off as a platform for foreign intelligence, military, and terrorist operations. Additional designations can be expected in the coming days and weeks,” Rubio added.
According to the State Department, the military company GAESA “constitutes the heart of Cuba’s kleptocratic communist system,” controlling “an estimated 40% or more of the Island’s economy” for the benefit of “corrupt elites,” while the Cuban people endure one of the most severe economic crises in the country’s history.
Last March, however, an official close to talks between the United States and Cuba affirmed precisely that the precarious economic situation of GAESA could serve as leverage for change. The information was published by The Economist, which argued that Gaesa’s collapse is due to having invested 70% of its resources over the last 10 years in a tourism sector that is now practically at zero.
“Before the United States tightened restrictions, Gaesa barely had one billion dollars in reserves”
“Before the United States tightened restrictions, Gaesa barely had one billion dollars in reserves. That figure is rapidly declining, as its luxury hotels remain empty,” the article said, estimating Cuba’s international reserves at around 3 billion dollars.
Trump signed a new executive order on May 1 extending the scope of sanctions against Cuba to include almost any non-U.S. person or company doing business with the Island, especially in the energy, defense, security, and financial sectors.
This adds to the oil blockade imposed in January by the American president, who has said he will “take control” of Cuba “almost immediately” and could deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln to Caribbean waters.
On Tuesday, before departing for China, Donald Trump said that Cuba’s situation was that of “a failed country” that “is asking for help, and we’re going to talk!”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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