“The U.S. Secretary of State has been lying about Cuba again for two consecutive days. It’s a habit he cannot shake,” Rodríguez says.
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, September 4, 2026 / Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the U.S. Government on Thursday of “cruel and ruthless aggression” against the people of the Island and of imposing measures intended to trigger “a humanitarian crisis.”
The Cuban foreign minister was reacting to the new sanctions announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio against Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, the state-owned financial institution Banco Exterior de Cuba, and several energy companies.
Rodríguez said on social media that “the U.S. Secretary of State has been lying about Cuba again for two consecutive days. It’s a habit he cannot shake.”
“It is his way, and that of his Government, of trying to justify a cruel and ruthless aggression against the Cuban people that admits no political or moral excuse,” the head of Cuba’s diplomacy maintained.
He also stressed that “collective punishment is a crime” and that it is also “a crime to cause suffering to an entire population through measures coldly calculated to trigger a humanitarian crisis.”
“Enough of the abuse. Put an end to the blockade once and for all and allow Cuba to live in peace, through its own efforts and with the united support of its noble and brave people,” the foreign minister demanded.
Rubio said in a statement that the new designations imposed on Cuba this Thursday “reflect President Trump’s unwavering vision of a free Cuba.”
In recent months, Washington has imposed sanctions on Cuban state entities and officials, including the country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, as well as members of the Castro family, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) Álvaro López Miera, and deputy ministers of that portfolio.
On May 1, President Trump issued an Executive Order threatening sanctions against any person or entity that provides financial, material, or technological support to the Cuban Government or operates in key sectors of the Island, such as energy, defense, finance, and mining.
It also includes a ban on entry into the United States for foreign nationals who have had or currently have relations with Cuban government entities.
It also includes a ban on entry into U.S. territory for foreign nationals who have maintained or currently maintain relationships with Cuban government entities, are involved in human rights violations, or are involved in acts of corruption.
Since then, batches of sanctions announced by the U.S. have followed every two weeks, beginning with the FAR’s business conglomerate, Gaesa, and its president, Ania Guillermina Lastres.
It later added Communications Minister Mayra Arevich and Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy, the ministries of Tourism and Construction, and mining companies such as Moa Nickel S.A., Geominera S.A., Cubapetróleo, and the José Martí Steelworks (Antillana de Acero), among other officials and entities.
Cuba has been experiencing a deep energy crisis since mid-2024, worsened since January by the U.S. oil pressure campaign, with blackouts lasting more than 20 hours in Havana and up to 72 consecutive hours in the rest of the country, which has aggravated the economic crisis the Island has endured for six years.
Translated by Regina Anavy
______________________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.