The sanction from the Department of State against CUPET took energy analysts by surprise, as researcher Jorge Piñón from the Energy Institute of the University of Texas acknowledged in an interview published this Friday. Piñón explained that many specialists assumed that the Cuban state oil company was already covered by the previous sanctions against GAESA or CIMEX, but the official measure, announced on Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, now explicitly classifies it as a blocked entity.
"Well, first of all, it took us by surprise because we always thought, perhaps we should have done a bit more in-depth research, that CUPET was already one of the state-owned companies sanctioned by the United States," stated Piñón.
The expert emphasized the significance of sanctioning CUPET: "We must remember that CUPET manages and controls the entire value chain of oil in Cuba, from the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, to the refining sector, the three refineries, four refineries it has in Cuba, the entire logistics system, the distribution plants, and everything related to tanker trucks and service stations."
This also includes the liquefied gas that millions of Cubans use for cooking: "Everything that is liquid petroleum, asphalt, lubricants, liquefied gas, which is so important for Cubans to cook food. Everything is under the umbrella, under the control of CUPET."
According to Piñón, the most immediate impact of the sanction will fall on the final link in the chain: "The impact will be on the last link of the value chain, which is when those receiving this oil or these fuels in Cuba may have used an asset from CUPET, whether it's a gas station or tanks to store diesel or gasoline. That is now going to be completely prohibited."
However, the researcher clarified that shipments via isotanks from the United States are not automatically blocked. "Shipments of isotanks from the United States through the port of Mariel are then distributed to cities such as Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Guantánamo, and Santiago. That is completely open," he stated, with one key condition: "What the Cuban buyer or operator must be very certain of is that the fuel has no physical connection to a CUPET company."
Where the door is definitely closed is in the large volumes transported by maritime tankers. "We should not expect future shipments to Cuba of large volumes, large volumes in tankers. But I believe that isotanks will continue," remarked Piñón, because "the maritime terminals in Cuba, as well as the storage points, whether it's Mariel, Nuevitas, Matanzas, or Cienfuegos, are indeed under the control of CUPET."
This restriction directly impacts the agreement that Vanguard Energy had negotiated with CUPET to send over 250,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel to Cuba—the largest shipment of U.S. fuel to the island since the Eisenhower era—valued at 34.3 million dollars according to economist Pedro Monreal. The State Department had already denied that Vanguard had a license from the Treasury Department to operate with CUPET facilities.
When asked if the regime could evade sanctions by transferring assets to private individuals, Piñón was skeptical: "The only possibility I see now is the potential sale of a station or a gas station to a private entity," although he cautioned that "leasing CUPET's assets may be prohibited."
The sanction against CUPET occurs within the context of the increasing pressure from the Trump administration on the Cuban regime, which previously included the sanction against GAESA on May 7, under the same Executive Order 14404. Cuba is experiencing a severe energy crisis, with generation deficits of up to 2,174 MW and power outages lasting 20 to 24 hours daily recorded in May 2026.
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