The U.S. Treasury Department posted the new directive on its website on Monday.
Published July 13, 2026
Amid rising tensions between Havana and Washington, D.C., the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and others.
On Monday, the United States also imposed sanctions on two state-owned companies, Grupo Empresarial de Transporte Maritimo Portuario (GEMAR) and Grupo Empresarial del Comercio Exterior (GECOMEX), according to sanctions posted on the ministry’s website.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The agency announced it would give companies and financial institutions doing business with state-owned enterprises permission to cancel existing contracts without facing sanctions until August 12.
The new sanctions follow an executive order in May that authorized the United States to freeze U.S.-based assets belonging to individuals and organizations that support Cuba’s government and economy. The order also increased pressure on banks affiliated with Cuban organizations.
In an interview on FOX Business on Sunday, U.N. Ambassador Mike Walz called the Cuban regime a “national security threat.” Walz also accused both Russia and China of “gathering intelligence around military bases in Cuba.”
The new sanctions are one of the latest pressures on Cuba. The U.S. oil blockade caused widespread power outages. Last Friday, more than 10 million people were affected by a nationwide power outage, the second of this week and the fourth of this year.
The White House placed Havana on lockdown after the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. Venezuela was a major supplier of fuel to Cuba. Another supplier, Mexico, also suspended crude oil shipments under pressure from the U.S. government.
Last week, during a debate at the United Nations General Assembly, Walz blamed Cuban leaders for the power outages, saying, “We need to change our ways and turn the lights back on for our people.”
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla criticized these comments and sanctions, calling them “an act of collective punishment” and “a systematic violation of the human rights of the entire population.”
During the debate, Parrilla noted that in addition to the “enormous impact” of the fuel blockade, the U.S.-wide embargo from March 2025 to February 2026 alone had cost $8 billion.
