Story perspectives

U.S. Sanctions Fidel Castro, Target Cuba’s Energy Firms

9/8/2026

Summary

US Sanctions

The United States imposed sanctions on Fidel Ernesto Castro and five Cuban entities.
Sanctions target state-owned Banco Exterior de Cuba, two nickel miners and two energy firms, including Abapet.
Brett Erickson said the measures aim to shut down critical machinery and deepen Cuba’s energy crisis.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said cumulative blockade damage now totals $178.7 billion, a 4.7% increase.

Summary

Rodríguez Reports Mortality

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez reported infant mortality rising from four per 1,000 births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025.
Rodríguez said Cuba will not declare a humanitarian crisis despite worsening health indicators.
Rodríguez emphasized Cuban solidarity in confronting daily hardships of the U.S. embargo.
Rodríguez noted contacts with the U.S. State Department but ruled out normalising relations.
Rodríguez criticized Washington for blaming Cuba’s woes on internal mismanagement rather than sanctions.

History

Historical Context

In 1960, the United States enacted the first comprehensive trade embargo against Cuba, forcing the island’s banks and exporters to cease operations. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s decree froze $1.2 billion in Cuban assets, and the subsequent 1962 Kennedy-signed Trade Restrictions Act cut Cuban sugar exports by 30 %. Today, the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions seize Banco Exterior de Cuba, nickel miners and energy firm Abapet, mirroring the embargo’s aim to strangle Cuba’s economy. The renewed financial pressure intensifies Cuba’s health crisis, prompting foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez to cite a $178.7 billion blockade toll and rising infant mortality.

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US Sanctions

The United States imposed sanctions on Fidel Ernesto Castro and five Cuban entities.
Sanctions target state-owned Banco Exterior de Cuba, two nickel miners and two energy firms, including Abapet.
Brett Erickson said the measures aim to shut down critical machinery and deepen Cuba’s energy crisis.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said cumulative blockade damage now totals $178.7 billion, a 4.7% increase.

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