The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reaffirmed this Thursday Washington's pressure policy against the Cuban regime and announced sanctions against eight entities and three individuals linked to the military apparatus and the nickel sector in Cuba.
Rubio made the announcement in a post on X, and subsequently, the State Department outlined the measures in an official statement and a fact sheet released this Thursday.
"Communist Cuba is a failed and corrupt state and a persistent threat to the national security of the United States, located less than 100 miles from the U.S. shores," Rubio stated.
The head of U.S. diplomacy also contrasted the conditions faced by the population with the management of resources by the ruling elites.
"While ordinary Cubans endure blackouts, food shortages, and brutality, the regime's elites continue to hoard the island's resources for themselves and for Cuba's repressive security apparatus," he wrote.
Rubio asserted that Washington will maintain this course of action: "The United States will continue to expose and sanction those who uphold this system."
The secretary specified that the new designations affect a total of 11 actors: eight entities and three individuals involved, according to the U.S. government, in the development of Cuban military capabilities and in the exploitation of the mining sector.
"Today, I sanction another 11 individuals involved in the development of Cuba's military capabilities and the exploitation of its mining sector," he noted.
In the statement that accompanied the announcement, Rubio asserted that for decades the Cuban government has directed the country's resources toward "a small and corrupt military elite," an accusation from Washington that Havana consistently rejects while countering with its own claims regarding the impact of U.S. sanctions.
"The Trump administration will not stand idly by while the Cuban elite enriches itself through the extraction of resources and hoards resources for Cuba's repressive security apparatus while the Cuban people suffer," Rubio stated.
The measures target, on one hand, four research and development entities associated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): the Center for Research and Development of Simulators (SIMPRO), the Center for Research and Development Naval (CIDNAV), the Center for Research and Development of Infantry Armament (CIDAI), and the Center for Research, Development, and Production Grito de Baire (GELCOM).
The State Department attributes to these entities functions related to simulators and military training, naval research, development and modernization of infantry weaponry, and production of electronic and communications equipment.
Three individuals were also appointed as heads of those organizations: Joaquín Francisco Cancio Monteagudo, senior colonel of the FAR and general director of SIMPRO; Dioglis Pedrera Argüello, captain of the FAR and general director of CIDNAV; and Julio Hurtado Betancourt, senior colonel and general director of CIDAI.
The second group of sanctions targets four state entities associated with the Cuban nickel industry: SERCONI, which provides services and tools to the sector; CEPRONIQUEL, focused on engineering projects; CEDINIQ, a state research and innovation center; and PINARES S.A., a mining company dedicated to geological surveys of deposits.
The State Department argued that nickel is "a critical source of foreign exchange income" for the Cuban government and noted that the new designations aim to impact both this resource and the structures related to military development.
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, 2026.
The provision authorizes sanctions against individuals operating, among others, in the Cuban sectors of energy, defense and related materials, metals and mining, financial services, and security.
As a result of the designations, the assets and interests in assets of the sanctioned individuals located in the United States or under the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, by 50% or more—individually or jointly—by one or more blocked persons are also subject to being blocked.
The State Department also warned that foreign individuals and entities engaging in certain activities with those sanctioned may face U.S. measures.
The new round comes just a week after Rubio stated that Washington had imposed "the strongest sanctions in history" regarding relations with Cuba and left the door open for further actions.
"Actions can always be taken. I'm not going to speculate on what they are, but we always have the right to operate and take measures to protect the national security of the United States," he said during an interview released on September 10.
The pressure strategy had also been anticipated by Rubio months earlier. On May 21, he asserted that the Cuban government could not simply wait for a change in Washington's stance: "They will not be able to wait for us or buy time. We are very serious. We are very focused.
The sanctions announced this Thursday represent a continuation of that policy and add to other measures adopted in recent months against Cuban business, military, and financial structures.
The designations this Thursday specifically affect the military research apparatus and companies linked to the state nickel business.
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