Cuba condemns US extension of trade blockade

Cuba has strongly condemned the United States' decision to extend its long-standing economic and commercial blockade, denouncing it as a deliberate effort to "suffocate an entire nation."

The U.S. administration first imposed the embargo in 1962 under the Trading with the Enemy Act. Washington recently renewed this act, prolonging the blockade against the communist island. This renewal arrives at a particularly challenging time for Cuba, which has already been grappling with a U.S.-imposed oil embargo since January.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his condemnation. He stated that the extension, now in effect until September 2027, "confirms that Washington persists in its purpose of suffocating an entire nation." Rodríguez further characterized the U.S. policy as "genocidal" toward the island's 9.4 million inhabitants.

The impact of the U.S. sanctions has been severe, contributing to persistent electricity shortages across Cuba and a significant downturn in tourism, a vital source of revenue for the country. Since 1978, every U.S. president, regardless of party affiliation, has annually renewed the Trading with the Enemy Act, maintaining Washington's authority to restrict commercial transactions with nations deemed adversaries.