The U.S. Department of the Treasury expanded its sanctions list against the Cuban regime this Monday, adding 10 entities to the List of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) under the CUBA-EO14404 program, which includes everything from repressive agencies to ministries and key state-owned enterprises.
The action, carried out by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), occurred in parallel with a statement from the Department of State titled “Further Sanctions on the Cuban Regime's Sources of Funding and Tools of Oppression”.
Among the sanctioned entities are two organizations with a documented history of repression: the Rapid Response Brigades (BRR), founded in June 1991, and the Militias of Territorial Troops (MTT), created in January 1980.
The BRR participated in the violent suppression of the protests on July 11, 2021, when its members attacked demonstrators with sticks and blunt objects at various locations across the country.
The Cuban Revolution Combatants Association (ACRC) was also sanctioned, founded in December 1993 and classified by OFAC as a civil society organization, although human rights organizations identify it as participating in acts of repudiation, threats, and physical assaults against activists and dissenters.
In the economic sphere, the list includes the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba (MINTUR), the Maritime Port Transport Business Group (GEMAR), and the Foreign Trade Business Group (GECOMEX), in addition to the Superior Organization of Business Management Caudal S.A. (OSDE Caudal).
The sanction against MINTUR comes at a critical time for the sector: Cuban tourism recorded a 48% decline in international visitors during the first quarter of 2026, with only 298,057 arrivals.
Additionally, the Antillana Export Corporation S.A. (ANTEX), which is directly linked to GAESA —the business conglomerate of the regime's Armed Forces—, was designated, according to the SDN list itself, along with two companies in the fuel sector: COREYDAN S.A. and ENETEC S.A.
As a result of these designations, all assets and interests of the sanctioned entities located in the United States or under the control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Additionally, foreign individuals and companies engaging in certain operations with these entities may be exposed to secondary sanctions.
The State Department emphasized that these sanctions aim to limit the sources of funding for the Cuban regime and impact the structures that support repression and activities deemed a threat to the national security of the United States.
This new round of punitive measures, the sixth in less than three months, is part of a sustained offensive that began with the signature of Executive Order 14404 by President Donald Trump on May 1, 2026, which expanded the legal framework to include sectors such as energy, defense, mining, and finance, and established a regime of secondary sanctions.
Since then, the designations have been progressive. The inclusion of ANTEX among the penalized companies on July 13 reinforces the pressure on GAESA, which had already been sanctioned on May 7 along with its CEO, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera. On the 18th of that month, the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Ministry of the Interior, and the National Revolutionary Police were also designated.
On June 4, measures were announced against Minfar, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, ICAP, as well as Miguel Díaz-Canel, Alejandro Castro Espín, and other top officials; on the 11th, it was CUPET's turn; and on the 23rd, the U.S. dealt a severe blow to two financial entities under the control of GAESA: the Banco Financiero Internacional S.A. (BFI) and RAFIN S.A.
The Trump administration has accumulated more than 240 restrictive measures against the Cuban regime since January 2026.
The State Department had warned in May that "more sanctions were expected in the days and weeks to come," a promise that was fulfilled again this Monday with the largest round of designations since the start of the offensive.
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