US Expands Sanctions Against Senior Cuban Officials

(MENAFN) The United States imposed fresh sanctions on several of Cuba’s highest-ranking officials, military figures, and intelligence leaders on Monday, significantly intensifying pressure on Havana. The measures targeted key members of the Cuban government, including the ministers responsible for justice, energy, and communications, as well as the nation’s principal intelligence organization.

“These sanctions advance the Trump Administration’s comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuba’s communist regime and to hold accountable both the regime and those who provide it material support,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Those affected by the sanctions include Justice Minister Rosabel Gamon Verde, Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy, Communications Minister Mayra Arevich Marin, and Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez, who serves as president of Cuba’s National Assembly.

The restrictions also extend to Cuba’s Directorate of Intelligence (DGI), regarded as the government’s leading espionage agency, together with its senior leadership, three high-ranking military officers, and a prominent official from the Communist Party Central Committee.

In addition to the DGI, the sanctions were applied to the Ministry of Interior (MININT), the institution overseeing Cuba’s police force, domestic security apparatus, and prison operations, as well as the National Revolutionary Police (PNR). US authorities accused the PNR of managing mobile detention units and using force to crush demonstrations.

Earlier the same day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel declared that the country possesses the "absolute and legitimate right" to protect itself from US military aggression. He cautioned that any assault on Cuba would trigger a "bloodbath with incalculable consequences."

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