The Cuban activist and journalist Iliana Hernández warned that international sanctions do not pose any real threat to the Cuban regime.
In his opinion, the only thing that could intimidate the government would be the certainty of a direct military intervention by the Trump administration.
Hernández stated in an interview with CiberCuba, where he was direct: "The Cuban communist dictatorship is a mafia; it is a criminal enterprise. You can impose as many sanctions as you like."
His statements come days after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Ministry of Tourism and nine other entities of the regime, marking the fifth anniversary of the protests of July 11.
For Hernández, those measures change nothing at the top of power. "The sanctions mean nothing to them. They don’t care if people are killed, if the population suffers, or if they live in darkness. They will continue to live," he stated.
The activist argued that the regime has its own resources - mentioning the figure of 18 billion dollars from GAESA, the business conglomerate of the Armed Forces - and that no package of sanctions, no matter how extensive, threatens its survival.
In light of that situation, Hernández was emphatic about what would indeed create fear in Havana: "What would truly be a problem for them is the certainty that Trump, or the administration, Southern Command, or whoever, would enter Cuba in the same way they did in '59, with violence."
The activist stated that the regime came to power through force and remains in power by force, and that this logic will not change due to diplomatic or economic pressure.
"Those people entered Cuba with violence, and they remain in power through violence. They will not leave any other way. They will leave with bullets," he stated.
As support for his argument, he cited the very words of Miguel Díaz-Canel, who in June closed the door to any political openings, ruling out changes in the system.
"All peaceful means for those people to change have already been exhausted. They will not change unless it happens that way," concluded Hernández.
The activist also conveyed the feelings of Cubans living on the Island who send her messages asking when intervention will arrive.
"When is this group coming, when is Papi Trump coming, when is the 'pelusa' coming... These are the messages I receive from Guantánamo to Pinar del Río," he recounted.
Hernández, who participated in the historic hunger strike of the San Isidro Movement in November 2020, endured detentions, house arrest, and acts of repudiation due to his political activism.
The government maintained her status as "regulated," which prevented her from leaving Cuba until 2022, when she departed for Spain.
Since January 2025, the Trump administration has imposed over 240 sanctions against Cuba, including the reinstatement to the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the Executive Order 14404 signed on May 1, 2026, which expanded restrictions on foreign financial institutions operating with blocked Cuban entities.
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