The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a stern warning to the Cuban regime this Thursday, stating that "we will not stand idly by" in the face of the enrichment of the military elite that has dominated the country for decades.
The warning confirmed in the afternoon a new round of sanctions against ten targets linked to the Havana government, including individuals, shipping networks, state entities, and Chinese suppliers.
"The Trump Administration will not stand idly by while the Cuban regime channels the island's resources toward its military elite," Rubio asserted in his public statement.
The head of U.S. diplomacy accused the ruling elite of monopolizing the country’s energy, maritime, and technological resources for their own benefit, relying on a network of state-owned enterprises, joint ventures, and international intermediaries that support their economic and military operations.
Rubio also pointed out that the regime’s foreign allies supply military equipment that, according to Washington, helps maintain the Cuban armed forces and facilitates internal repression.
Relatives of the elite at the center of the sanctions
Among those appointed this Thursday is Guillermo Faustino Rodríguez López-Calleja, whom U.S. authorities link to an extensive network of shipping companies based abroad that are engaged in the transportation of crude oil to and from Cuba.
Any Rodríguez Lastres was also sanctioned, the daughter of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, president of the Business Administration Group (GAESA), who had already been designated by Washington. Any Rodríguez Lastres had served as the commercial director of the Mariel Container Terminal S.A., which was also included in previous designations.
Rubio's statement places special emphasis on the role that, according to Washington, family members of high-ranking officials and international business structures play in the economic support of the regime.
Two Chinese companies on the list
The measures also extended to two Chinese companies accused of supplying the Cuban military: China National Electronic Import and Export Company (CEIEC) and Beijing H&C Technologies Co., Ltd., which Washington accuses of exporting military components and surveillance equipment to Cuba through the intermediary Duna S.A.
Likewise, the Department of the Treasury issued a determination that expands the possibility of imposing sanctions on foreign individuals who operate or have operated in the Cuban sectors of electronics, manufacturing, maritime transport, and technology.
The United States also identified five vessels as blocked property: Esperanza, Gloria C, Maria Cristina, Emilia, and Lourdes.
A sustained pressure campaign
The actions taken this Thursday are part of a sanctions campaign that the Trump Administration launched in May 2026 under Executive Order 14404, signed on May 1 of that year.
Since then, Washington has designated GAESA and its president, financial entities linked to the military conglomerate, the Mariel Container Terminal, arms importers such as Tecnoimport and Tecnotex, and the Cuban military development apparatus, which includes entities like SIMPRO, CIDNAV, and GELCOM, in successive rounds.
Rubio also accused Cuba of serving as a base of operations for what he described as a global coalition of actors hostile to the United States who seek to "threaten, spy, and conspire" against the country, although the statement does not identify specific operations or provide concrete evidence of those activities.
"The ruling elite of Cuba monopolizes the island's energy, maritime, and technological resources for their own enrichment, leaving the Cuban people to cope with blackouts, shortages, and a stagnant economy," stated the Secretary of State.
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