Related videos:
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this Thursday the designation of Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET) as a sanctioned entity under the Executive Order 14404 signed by President Trump on May 1st, marking the most direct blow so far against the energy backbone of the Cuban regime.
The sanction is applied under Section 2(a)(i)(A) of that executive order for operating in the energy sector of the Cuban economy, and it immediately blocks all assets and interests of CUPET in U.S. territory or in the possession of individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
Foreign companies conducting transactions with CUPET or operating in the sectors of energy, defense, metals, financial services, or security in Cuba are subject to secondary sanctions.
Rubio was emphatic in explaining the reasons for the measure: "The Cuban communist elites have weaponized energy as a tool for social control and kleptocratic profit."
The official outlined that "the regime has stolen and hoarded the available fuel, using it for the Castro's private plane, the security forces employed to repress the Cuban people, to keep empty tourist hotels lit, and to transport people on buses for false protests and political maneuvers."
All of this, he emphasized, "while the Cuban people suffered blackouts and waited weeks to fill their car tanks."
The designation of CUPET comes a day after it was revealed that Vanguard Energy, a company based in Coral Gables, Florida, had signed a contract with a Cuban import agency to lease CUPET facilities and send over 250,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel per trip, described as the largest shipment of American fuel to Cuba since the Eisenhower era.
On the same Wednesday, the State Department denied having authorized that operation, stating that "the sanctions of the Trump administration remain in effect in the absence of specific guidance or a contrary license."
Now, the designation of CUPET definitively eliminates any legal ambiguity.
Rubio concluded his announcement with a message that defines Washington's stance: "President Trump desires a new future for the Cuban people with greater freedom and economic and political opportunities. Until then, we will continue to undermine the communist regime's ability to use its energy trade to promote its corrupt agenda and violently repress the Cuban people."
This is the second major action under EO 14404 in less than five weeks.
On May 7, Rubio had already formalized sanctions against GAESA, the military-business conglomerate that controls tourism and Cuban imports, along with its CEO and the company Moa Nickel S.A.
On May 19, Rubio indicated that more sanctions against the elites of the regime would be forthcoming, and days later the U.S. sanctioned Cuban intelligence, MININT, and the PNR under the same executive order.
In May, the shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM had already suspended operations with Cuba following the implementation of those secondary sanctions.
The measures arrive at the worst energy moment the Island has experienced in decades.
Since January, the supply of Venezuelan oil has been interrupted following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and Mexico halted its shipments due to fears of U.S. tariffs.
The electricity deficit reached a record of 2,153 MW on May 13, with power outages lasting up to 22 hours a day in Havana and more than forty consecutive hours in some areas of eastern Cuba.
The Cuban Energy Minister, Vicente de la O Levy, admitted in May that Cuba had "absolutely no fuel, no diesel, only associated gas."
The crisis has triggered an unprecedented wave of protests: the Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded 1,311 demonstrations just in May 2026, with pot-banging, barricades, and bonfires in at least 12 municipalities in Havana.
Filed under: