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The U.S. government has prohibited the shipment of Russian oil to Cuba through a new license issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which restricts transactions related to crude oil of Russian origin.
The official document from the Department of the Treasury states that, although certain operations for the sale and delivery of Russian oil in transit are authorized, these cannot involve countries like Cuba, effectively blocking any supply to the island.
The measure is part of Washington's policy to increase pressure on Kremlin allies and accelerate changes in regimes considered adversarial, such as the Cuban one, in a context of growing economic and energy difficulties within the island.
Cuba's exclusion occurs at a particularly critical moment, marked by prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages, and a deteriorating energy infrastructure that impacts both the population and productive sectors.
With this decision, the United States strengthens its strategy to further limit the external energy sources available to the Cuban regime, reducing its maneuvering margins and increasing internal pressure in an already tense scenario.
The measure comes amid growing signs of attempts to maintain energy supply from Russia to the island.
One of the most recent cases is that of the oil tanker Sea Horse, which is approaching the Caribbean with a cargo of Russian diesel and whose real destination has raised suspicions, despite declaring a course towards Gibraltar.
Independent tracking and analysis data suggest that the tanker may be heading to Cuba after having loaded fuel through operations designed to evade sanctions, such as ship-to-ship transfers.
Its navigation behavior, with erratic changes and possible manipulations in its signals, has heightened alerts about a potential attempt to circumvent international restrictions.
In this context, the Treasury Department's decision aims to close off those avenues, anticipating operations like that of the Sea Horse and preventing the Cuban regime from receiving external energy relief amidst one of its worst crises in years.
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