Washington (United States) (AFP) - The US Treasury Department announced this Thursday economic sanctions against the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta and members of the Castro family, in full economic pressure on the island.

First modification: 06/05/2026 - 12:55

Díaz-Canel had already been sanctioned in July of last year, due to the repression of the 2021 citizen protests.

This new wave of sanctions includes Alejandro Castro Espín, son of the historical revolutionary leader Raúl Castro, the grandson, Raúl Alejandro Castro, and the president's stepson, Manuel Anido Cuesta.

Another grandson of Raúl Castro, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, singled out by US media for playing a key role in the ongoing talks between Cuba and the United States, does not appear among those sanctioned.

The United States has maintained an embargo against the communist island since 1962, and under Donald Trump's second term the siege has been tightening.

Alejandro Castro Espín, 60, was a key player in the secret negotiations between Cuba and the United States that led to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2015.

"Aggression and perversion"

This new wave of sanctions is aimed "at reinforcing the blockade measures and the conflict scenario between Cuba and the United States," Díaz-Canel reacted in X.

"The aggressiveness and perversion of the Yankee government will clash with our decision to face the worst scenarios and resist the imperial onslaught," he added, after President Donald Trump launched new threats against the island this Thursday.

Washington is combining economic sanctions against figures and companies of the regime, legal measures, such as the historic indictment of Raúl Castro, 95, for the downing of two small planes in 1996, and a de facto oil blockade since the beginning of the year.

Cuba is experiencing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since the triumph of the Castro revolution in 1959. Washington and Havana are holding negotiations for a way out of the crisis, which for now is not bearing fruit.

Washington accuses Cuba, located 150 km from Florida, of being a threat to its security, while Havana claims to be willing to negotiate without giving up what it considers its sovereignty.

The Treasury Department had already recently sanctioned Cuban ministers, generals and the intelligence services.

In addition, its economic pressure led this week to important hotel chains, such as the Spanish Meliá, to announce that they were abandoning their businesses on the island.

Visa and Mastercard payment operations are also suspended.

In Washington's opinion, Cuba actually lives under the control of the military conglomerate Gaesa, which manages the country's main economic sectors, starting with tourism, which brings foreign currency to the country.

The sanctions of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) prevent any type of economic activity by personalities and companies with American counterparts.

In addition to the president and members of the Castro family, Washington sanctions the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples and the companies Amistur and Minera La Victoria.

"Subversive activities"

When Washington announced sanctions against Cuban President Díaz Canel for the first time, in July 2025, the reason invoked was the repression of citizen protests in 2021, which led hundreds of Cubans to prison.

The State Department now invokes what it considers "subversive anti-American activities."

"These sanctions are aimed at the broad and violent network of radical action of the Cuban regime and the actors who execute and finance it," its statement indicated.

"Since the beginning of Fidel Castro's program to globalize the so-called Marxist 'revolution,' Havana has served as a forward base of operations for global irregular warfare against US interests, recruiting, training and equipping violent left-wing militants throughout our region," he added.

Trump reiterated in a public event in the Oval Office his desire to precipitate change on the island, which has "collapsed," as he explained to reporters.

"We're going to take care of that as soon as we're done; I like to do one thing at a time, and we'll take care of the Islamic Republic of Iran" first, he said.

"We are going to treat Cuba well, and we are going to allow our people to return and invest in Cuba, if they want," he added.

© 2026 AFP

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