Cuba minister accuses Rubio of blocking basic services with sanctions

Cuba's top diplomat, Bruno Rodríguez, accused U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of intentionally blocking essential services for the Cuban population through sanctions. Rodríguez stated on social media that the latest U.S. sanctions, targeting three officials and nine state entities in mining, foreign trade, and metallurgy, specifically impede the transport of food, medicine, and medical devices, largely acquired by Cuban private micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Among those sanctioned were executives from the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). Rubio had accused ICAP officials of infiltrating, corrupting, and radicalizing Americans. Rodríguez dismissed these sanctions as a "failed obsession" against Cuba, defending ICAP as an institution that has promoted friendship, international solidarity, justice, and peace for over six decades, asserting it is the opposite of Rubio's "corrupt policy."

These new measures add to existing U.S. pressure, including sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and criminal charges against former leader Raúl Castro. The article notes this campaign aims to cripple Cuba, which is already facing a severe crisis. Earlier in August, Rubio had warned Cuba against expecting any "escape valve" from U.S. pressure for radical change, suggesting the island could not simply wait out the end of Donald Trump's second term.

The intensified U.S. pressure, including an oil blockade initiated in January and secondary sanctions since May targeting key economic sectors, has exacerbated the precarious situation in the Caribbean nation.