BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE United States Government has continued its pressure campaign against Cuba, imposing new sanctions on senior officials aligned with the Cuban regime as tensions between Havana and Washington escalate.
On Monday, the US announced sanctions against 11 Cuban officials and three state entities, as the Donald Trump administration intensifies efforts to reshape Western Hemisphere policies in favour of the United States.
The move comes as Cuba’s economy continues to struggle under decades-long sanctions and embargoes, with ongoing electricity shortages and food crises affecting daily life across the island.
In a statement, the US State Department said the sanctions are part of the Trump administration’s “comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuba’s communist regime and hold accountable the regime and those who provide it material or financial support.”
The Department further accused the Cuban government of prioritizing “Communist ideology and personal wealth over the well-being of its own citizens,” while allowing the country to be used for “foreign intelligence, military, and terror operations.”
Since returning to office last year, President Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted Cuba’s authoritarian government, insisting the United States will continue taking action against officials and entities accused of supporting repression while ordinary Cubans suffer economic hardship.
“Today, all Department of State targets are being sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 14404, which authorizes sanctions on persons determined to meet specified criteria related to repression in Cuba and threats to US national security,” the statement said.
Among the entities sanctioned are Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior (MININT), the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), and the Directorate of Intelligence of Cuba (DGI). US authorities accused the agencies of involvement in internal repression, intelligence operations, and the suppression of protests.
The sanctions also target several high-ranking Cuban officials, including:
- Eddy Manuel Sierra Arias, Chief of the General Directorate of the PNR;
- Oscar Alejandro Callejas Valcarce, Chief of the Political Directorate of MININT and former Director of the PNR;
- Rosabel Gamon Verde, Cuba’s Minister of Justice;
- Joaquin Quintas Sola, Deputy Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces;
- Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez, President of Cuba’s National Assembly for People’s Power;
- Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines;
- Mayra Arevich Marin, Minister of Communications;
- Jose Miguel Gomez del Vallin, Chief of Staff of Military Counterintelligence;
- Raul Villar Kessell, Chief of Cuba’s Central Army;
- Roberto Tomas Morales Ojeda, senior Communist Party official; andEugenio Armando Rabilero Aguilera, Chief of the Eastern Army.
Under the sanctions announced through Executive Order 14404, all property and interests linked to the designated individuals and entities within the United States, or under the control of US persons, are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The sanctions also extend to any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by the designated persons.
