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UN Investigators Urge Iran to Withdraw Bill Punishing Foreign Contact

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The United States imposed new sanctions on Cuban individuals and entities, including Fidel Ernesto Castro and the state-linked Abapet import company.
  • Experts said the measures could worsen Cuba’s power and economic crises by restricting access to equipment and spare parts.
  • Cuban officials condemned the sanctions as the island faces prolonged blackouts, dwindling fuel reserves and halted talks with Washington.

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Cuba in what experts describe as a fresh effort to tighten pressure on the island’s economy and deepen its worsening crises.

The measures target Fidel Ernesto Castro, the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, and Cuba’s Oil Industry Supply Import Company, known as Abapet. The company imports specialized equipment and spare parts used to maintain the country’s aging power grid.

The US is trying to really tighten the screws as much as possible

· Brett EricksonA sanctions expert describing the purpose and likely effects of the new measures.

Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert and managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the restrictions could push more of Cuba’s critical machinery offline and intensify its energy crisis. “The US is trying to really tighten the screws as much as possible,” he said, according to The Associated Press. Erickson added that the Trump administration appeared unwilling to accept any change from Cuba short of regime change, referring to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The blockade is a genocide

· Oscar Pérez-Oliva FragaCuba’s deputy prime minister and foreign investment minister blamed the United States for the island’s worsening economic conditions.

He said Cuba’s government would likely seek alternative ways to obtain maintenance parts because it had no other choice. Those efforts would be more expensive, potentially driving inflation higher and placing additional strain on the economy. Islandwide blackouts have become increasingly common, with daily outages now exceeding 24 hours in some parts of Cuba as the grid deteriorates and fuel reserves decline.

Cuban officials have blamed Washington for the worsening conditions. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Investment Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said, “The blockade is a genocide.” He spoke at a press conference before the sanctions were announced, where officials also presented details of economic reforms approved in June.

If we don’t have power, we don’t have water

· Yaqueline BernalA Cuban resident described how prolonged blackouts affect her family.

Yaqueline Bernal, a 49-year-old Cuban affected by the outages, said she had been without electricity since Sunday and was worried about her eight grandchildren. “If we don’t have power, we don’t have water,” she said. “You really don’t know what’s going to happen to you.” Talks between the United States and Cuba earlier this year have stopped, while Washington has continued expanding sanctions against smaller state companies.

You really don’t know what’s going to happen to you

· Yaqueline BernalBernal expressed concern about the consequences of the ongoing outages for her grandchildren.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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