The Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla reacted this Tuesday to the new restrictions announced by the United States against Cuba and accused Washington of .
In a message published on X, Rodríguez stated that the U.S. government issued "another wave of sanctions against the Cuban people," listing among them the elimination of people-to-people exchanges, new academic and research restrictions, and increased financial limitations.
"Additionally, prohibitions are reinforced to prevent private entities in Cuba from conducting direct business with the U.S. and U.S. banks, in addition to the prohibition on U-turn transactions," wrote the head of Cuban diplomacy.
The reaction occurs after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury announced this Tuesday a new tightening of U.S. regulations on Cuba, with measures taking effect on September 30.
Among the changes is the removal of the general authorization for group educational trips known as people-to-people, as well as the general authorization to attend or organize meetings and professional conferences in Cuba.
Authorized academic activities are also subject to stricter requirements.
Washington also expanded the restrictions on operations with entities included in the Cuba Restricted List.
Starting Wednesday, the ban will not only cover certain direct transactions but also indirect financial operations in which a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction acts as an intermediary.
Rodríguez specifically criticized that point and asserted that the United States "prohibits indirect operations with entities on the unilateral list of restricted entities from the State Department."
Another measure directly affects private Cuban entrepreneurs. OFAC eliminated an authorization introduced in 2024 that allowed certain independent entrepreneurs to open and operate accounts in U.S. banking institutions.
The banks holding those accounts must block the corresponding funds, unless there is another applicable authorization, and they will need a specific license from OFAC to unlock them.
The measure does not eliminate all possibilities for Cuban citizens to maintain certain accounts in the United States, but it does revoke the special regime that benefited so-called independent entrepreneurs in the private sector.
The authorization to process the so-called U-Turn transactions also disappears, which allowed U.S. financial institutions to process certain fund transfers related to Cuba when both the source and destination of the money were outside the United States.
Rodríguez directly linked these decisions to the economic transformations announced by the Cuban government during 2026.
"These new blockade measures aim to hinder the ongoing process of economic transformations," he stated.
Havana claims to have already implemented 158 out of the 176 Economic and Social Transformations announced in June, equivalent to 89% of the program, although Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz acknowledged this week that it is still necessary for these provisions to yield concrete results in production, income, prices, and employment.
The chancellor also stated that the new restrictions contradict the statements of U.S. officials who claim to want to promote the growth of the Cuban private sector.
"It openly attacks both the public and private sectors, the latter which some U.S. officials say they want to help develop," he wrote.
The Trump administration holds a different position. Washington asserts that its measures aim to limit the revenues and operations of entities linked to the Cuban state, military, and security apparatus, while maintaining certain authorizations directed towards the private sector and humanitarian activities.
The clash of positions occurs just hours after the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment and Vice Prime Minister, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, also blamed U.S. sanctions for hindering economic reforms and attracting foreign investment.
Rodríguez also took the opportunity in his message to question recent statements made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "Less than 24 hours ago, the Secretary of State said that 'Cuba has already fallen,' and now it turns out he needs to implement additional measures," the Foreign Minister wrote.
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