US imposes new sanctions on Cuba, targeting ministry and state firms

The United States has intensified its pressure on Cuba's leadership by implementing new sanctions. The U.S. State Department announced that the measures target the Cuban Ministry of Construction and several state-owned companies in the metal and mining sectors. Additionally, three senior officials from the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (Icap) were placed on the sanctions list.

Among those sanctioned is Icap President Fernando González Llort, who had previously served a 15-year prison sentence in the U.S. for espionage. The State Department stated that Llort has "continued his efforts to destabilize the United States" through his work with Icap. Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio, of continuing to punish Cuban companies to harm the economy and prevent the Cuban government from providing essential services to its population.

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continued his efforts to destabilize the United States

The U.S. has significantly increased economic and diplomatic pressure on the communist-led island nation in recent months. In July, the U.S. sanctioned several state trading companies and the Ministry of Tourism. The U.S. has maintained an embargo against Cuba since 1962 and has largely blocked the island's oil supply this year. Cuba is facing a severe economic crisis, partly due to these U.S. sanctions, leading to widespread power outages and fuel shortages for its approximately ten million residents.

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to punish Cuban companies to harm the economy and prevent the Cuban government from providing essential services to its population