The US government has announced sanctions against Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company, Cupet, in a move that is expected to deepen the island’s economic crisis. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that key assets of the company were unlawfully expropriated from American owners years ago.

Sanctions and Their Impact

Rubio also accused Cuba’s government of weaponizing energy, stating that while the Cuban people have suffered fuel shortages and blackouts due to decades of under-investment in critical infrastructure, Cuba’s Communist leaders have diverted energy resources to line their own pockets. He further noted that Cuban officials resell energy on the secondary market, hoard energy supplies for their military and repressive forces, and ration energy as a tool of social control.

Bruno Rodríguez, Cuba’s foreign affairs minister, pushed back against Rubio’s comments, stating that the US Secretary of State is driven by ambitions of conquest and presidential aspirations, and is further tightening the economic and energy blockade against Cuba. Rodríguez accused Rubio of using vulgar lies and aggressive rhetoric to justify the sanctions.

Expert Reactions

William LeoGrande, an expert on Cuba at the American University in the United States, said the latest US measure seems like an effort to block any major oil shipments. He noted that the US policy is a contradiction, as they claim they don’t want to create a humanitarian crisis, although that’s exactly what they’re doing. Ricardo Herrero, a Cuban economist based in the US, expressed concern that the move could trigger mass migration.

The sanctions come almost a week after the US government sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials, as well as several institutions. Rubio stated that all property or interests of Cupet located in the US or in possession or control of US people are blocked.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.