Cuba Pushes Back Against U.S. Government's Dismissal of Punitive Measures
- Written by Redacción ¡ahora!
- Published in Cuba
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The Cuban government strongly rejected statements made Monday by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which he claimed that Washington has taken no "punitive measures" against Cuba — despite the blockade in place for more than six decades and the ban on crude oil and fuel exports to the island, imposed under threat of reprisals by President Donald Trump last December.
"The U.S. Government now says it has taken no 'punitive' action against Cuba. What is the economic blockade, if not punitive? What is the threat against any country that exports fuel to Cuba, if not punitive?" wrote Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on his X account.
In the same vein, the minister questioned whether "the financial persecution of Cuban transactions in any country, restrictions on merchant vessels calling at Cuban ports, and the prohibition on Americans visiting Cuba" — or "selective and arbitrary designations such as the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, the restricted entities list, and the restricted accommodations list" — could not also be characterized as coercive actions.
He concluded by questioning whether "abusive pressure on Caribbean and Latin American governments to abandon medical cooperation programs with Cuba, in order to deprive the country of legitimate income," did not likewise constitute "a plainly punitive action."
Deflecting Responsibility?
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Rubio insisted that the United States has "taken no punitive measures against the Cuban regime. They claim we have, but that is not true," he stated.
The day prior, the senior U.S. official also denied the existence of a "naval blockade around Cuba," asserting that the reason the island "has no oil or fuel is because they want it for free, and people don't usually give away oil or fuel."
U.S. Threats Against Cuba
On January 29, President Trump signed an executive order declaring a "national emergency" in response to the alleged "unusual and extraordinary threat" that Washington claims Cuba poses to American national security and the broader region. The order accuses the Cuban government of aligning with "numerous hostile nations," harboring "transnational terrorist groups," and permitting the deployment on the island of "sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities" belonging to Russia and China.
On that basis, the administration announced tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, along with threats of reprisals against any nation acting in defiance of the White House executive order.
The measures came amid an escalating standoff between Washington and Havana, with Cuba systematically rejecting the allegations and warning it will defend its territorial integrity. Cuba's president responded that "this new measure reveals the fascist, criminal, and genocidal nature of a clique that has hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal ends."
On March 7, Trump announced that "a great change will soon come to Cuba," adding that the island is reaching "the end of the road."
The United States has maintained its economic and commercial blockade against Cuba for more than six decades. That embargo, which has severely damaged the island's economy, has now been further reinforced through a series of coercive and unilateral measures by the White House. (Source : Cubasí)
