Us-cuba

US sanctions Cuban Prez Miguel Diaz-Canel, widening pressure on leadership

The United States has imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, along with his wife and three other individuals, according to a filing from the US Treasury Department. It's the latest Trump administration move to pressure the island's leadership. Included in the sanctions are Alejandro Castro Espin, the sole son of former President Raul Castro and Vilma Espin. He served as an adviser to Cuba's Defense and National Security Commission and was present when Raul Castro greeted then-US President Barack Obama in Havana during a historic March 2016 meeting. Castro Espin's son, Raul Alejandro Castro Calis, was also listed. The sanctions come after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding sanctions against the island and has been threatening military action ever since ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January and then ordering an energy blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba. That has led to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economi

Trump dismisses fears, says US wants to help Cuba on 'humanitarian basis'

Trump dismissed speculation that the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz near the region was aimed at intimidating the Cuban government

US charges former Cuban President Raul Castro in 1996 aircraft shootdown

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the island's socialist government. The indictment was related to Castro's alleged role in the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba's defense minister at the time. The charges included murder and destruction of an airplane. "For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in Miami at a ceremony to honour those killed. "They were unarmed civilians and were flying humanitarian missions for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida straits." Asked to what lengths American authorities would go to bring Castro to face charges in the U.S., Blanche said: "There was a warrant issued for his arrest. So we

US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz enters Caribbean amid tensions with Cuba

US Southern Command (Southcom), which oversees American military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America, announced the deployment on Wednesday

Trump admin targets Cuba's leaders, generals and spies with new sanctions

The punitive action is part of the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's push to squeeze the island's economy, most notably through a de facto energy blockade

CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets Cuban officials, Raul Castro's grandson

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raul Castro's grandson during a high-level visit to the island, Cuban and US officials said. Ratcliffe met with Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Ministry of Interior Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services on Thursday and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP. Ratcliffe was there "to personally deliver President Donald Trump's message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes. According to official reports, the meeting served as a platform for Cuba to present evidence asserting that the nation poses no threat to US national security,'' the CIA official said. An official statement from Cuba's government noted the meeting "took place Thursday, May 14, against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations." While the US stressed the Cuba

US not looking at imminent military action in Cuba despite Trump threats

The United States is not looking at imminent military action against Havana despite President Donald Trump's repeated threats that "Cuba is next" and that American warships deployed in the Middle East for the Iran conflict could return by way of the island, US officials say. The officials involved in preliminary discussions with Cuban authorities also told The Associated Press that they are not optimistic the communist government will accept an offer for tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, two years of free Starlink internet access for all Cubans, agricultural assistance and infrastructure support. But they say Cuba has not yet outright refused the offer, which comes with conditions that the government has long resisted, even after the Trump administration imposed new sanctions Thursday on Havana. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, say there is still time for the government to accept. They cautioned, though, that Trump could

US could 'take over Cuba almost immediately', says Trump, widens sanctions

Measures target officials, security-linked entities and key sectors, with scope for action against foreign firms; Havana rejects the move as unlawful and says it will not be intimidated

Cuba's President warns US against attacking island or trying to depose him

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the US has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or to attempt to depose him. Speaking in an interview on NBC News' Meet the Press programme, the president said an invasion of Cuba would be costly and affect regional security. But should it happen, Diaz-Canel said, Cubans would defend themselves. "If the time comes, I don't think there would be any justification for the United States to launch a military aggression against Cuba, or for the US to undertake a surgical operation or the kidnapping of a president," Diaz-Canel said, speaking through a translator. He added: "If that happens, there will be fighting, and there will be a struggle, and we will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, we'll die, because as our national anthem says, 'dying for the homeland is to live'." His comments come as tensions between Cuba and the US remain high despite both sides acknowledging talks, although no details have been ...

Cuba pardons 2,010 prisoners amid mounting pressure from Trump admin

The Cuban government said Thursday it had pardoned 2,010 people at the same time the Trump administration has placed extreme pressure on the government and suffocated the island with an oil blockade. Cuba's government said the pardons were a "humanitarian gesture" in connection with Holy Week and didn't mention mounting pressures with the US. The government said it had "released" foreigners and Cubans, including women, the elderly and young people. Cuban authorities didn't name who was released or under what conditions, nor did it mention the crimes they were accused of committing. Authorities also provided no details on whether any of those pardoned were protesters convicted and sentenced for terrorism, contempt or public disorder. Cuba's government does not recognise political prisoners, but the activist group Prisoners Defended registered 1,214 people imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba. Cuban authorities said the pardon decision "was based on a careful analysis of the ...

'No problem' with Russian oil tanker bringing relief to Cuba, says Trump

President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has "no problem" with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a US oil blockade. "We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need they have to survive," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington. When asked if a New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump said: "I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it's Russia or not." Tracking data shows the oil tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, was just off the eastern tip of the island on Sunday night and slated to land in the city of Matanzas by Tuesday. Journalists working for Cuban state media also reported the boat was expected to land, though Cuban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, whose government has come at its

With Cuba under pressure, the Castro dynasty is making a comeback

As Trump officials demand changes, Castro family members are suddenly popping up across Cuba's political scene. Some even ask: Could one be the "Cuban Delcy?"

Trump says 'Cuba's next', signals tougher stance amid West Asia conflict

The developement comes as US President Donald Trump and his allies continue to express their desire for regime change in Cuba

A Castro may lead Cuba amid rising US pressure for leadership change

As US President Donald Trump pushes for change in Cuba's leadership, speculation is mounting about who, if anyone, might replace Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. As Raul Castro's handpicked largely figurehead successor in 2018, Diaz-Canel has been the only leader without the last name Castro to govern since the 1959 revolution. He still has two years left in his term, but some experts and a growing number of Cubans doubt he'll make it. Two Castro cousins have come into focus as potential replacements, experts said. Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga - Raul Castro's 55-year-old great nephew - has shot to power since emerging from obscurity several years ago. He became minister of Cuba's influential Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment in May 2024 and was appointed the island's deputy prime minister in October. By contrast, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro - Raul Castro's grandson - has never occupied a government post, having served as his grandfather's bodyguard and later as head of Cuba

Cuba refuses to let US Embassy in Havana import diesel for generators

The Cuban government has refused a request by the US Embassy in Havana to allow it to import diesel for its generators while the Trump administration continues to impose a fuel blockade on the island, according to two US officials familiar with the matter. The Cuban government turned down the request as the US State Department has been weighing a reduction in staffing at the embassy in Havana because of the lack of diesel. Such a move would likely lead to a US demand for a similar reduction in staffing at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, say the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The Cuban government rejection was first reported by The Washington Post. Cuba has struggled with dwindling oil since the US removed Venezuela's leader, halting critical petroleum shipments from the nation. President Donald Trump then threatened tariffs on any country selling or supplying Cuba with oil. The island is relying on its own natural gas, solar power a

Trade with Cuba falls as Trump ramps up pressure on Communist leadership

The Cuban Communist Party has shown an astonishing resilience over six decades in power. Whether it's the United States trade embargo to counter Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, or the widespread starvation of the "special period" that followed the breakup of its Cold War patron, the Soviet Union, both US hostilities and calamities of its own making have proven no match for the country's leadership. But perhaps none of those crises pose as grave a threat as the one triggered by an all-but-declared naval siege by the Trump administration as it seeks to force regime change in the wake of its successful ousting of Cuba's longtime ally Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Even as he fights a war with Iran, President Donald Trump this week said he believes he'll have "the honor of taking Cuba" soon. While it wasn't clear exactly what he meant, the US is looking for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to leave power as part of ongoing talks with Havana that could avert some kind of US military ...

Concern, anger and hope grow in Cuba as Trump calls for 'imminent action'

A mix of uncertainty, anger and hope simmered in Cuba on Wednesday following comments by U.S. President Donald Trump this week saying that Washington could take "imminent action" against the island's government. Trump, whose government has come at its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change. The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many desperate. Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport. Matilde Visoso, a single mother caring for a sick daughter, said she's been left reeling by the island's spiraling crisis, and wants change in the Caribbean nation. "Cuba is waiting for Trump and Marco Rubio, because we can't wait any longer. It's too m

Trump, Rubio call for new leadership in Cuba amid deepening economic crisis

President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged imminent action against Cuba's socialist government as his moves against the island bring the U.S.' longtime opponent deeper into crisis. A day after Trump's sanctions on Venezuela, including a stop to vital oil exports to Cuba, contributed to Cuba's latest nationwide blackout, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both said that the administration sees the island nation as the next country where the U.S. can expand its influence. "Cuba right now is in very bad shape," Trump said. "And we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon," he added. Until recently, Trump's comments on change in Cuba might have been considered remarkable. But they come after his administration's military raid that captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and the launch of U.S. military strikes against Iran. The Trump administration is looking for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to leave as the U.S. continues negotiating with the Cuban government, accordin

Cuba suffers nationwide blackout after power grid collapse amid fuel crisis

The Ministry of Energy and Mines is investigating the cause, but said that there was no damage to the power plants operating at the time of the failure

Cuba brings power grid back online, blames US oil blockade for blackout

Cuba restores its national power grid after a 16-hour blackout, blaming fuel shortages linked to the US oil blockade and an outage at the Antonio Guiteras power plant