The United States has imposed fresh economic sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife, his stepson, and several members of the Castro family, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday. Also targeted were Alejandro Castro Espín — the sole son of former President Raúl Castro and a former adviser to Cuba's Defence and National Security Commission — as well as a grandson of Raúl Castro. Five entities were sanctioned alongside the individuals, including the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. The measures mark the latest escalation in Washington's sustained pressure campaign against the communist-governed island, which lies roughly 150 kilometres south of Florida.
The new sanctions follow a series of increasingly aggressive moves by the Trump administration. Earlier this year, Washington imposed a de facto energy blockade on Cuba after the January overthrow of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, cutting off fuel shipments that had long helped sustain the island's already fragile power grid. The resulting crisis has produced blackouts of up to 22 hours a day, acute food and medicine shortages, and a near-total collapse of public transport. The United Nations representative on the island warned Thursday that the humanitarian emergency, combined with the onset of the Caribbean hurricane season, amounted to an "explosive cocktail." Last month, the US also indicted former President Raúl Castro, now 95, on murder charges related to Cuba's 1996 shooting down of aircraft operated by a Cuban exile group, in which four people died.
President Trump said on Thursday that the US simply wanted Cuba to be "a nicely run country that can feed its people," but went further in hinting at the administration's ambitions, noting Cuba has "a beautiful piece of land" suited for "beautiful resorts." He has previously pledged a "friendly takeover" of the island if its leadership did not open its economy to American investment and expel US adversaries, and on Thursday suggested Cuba would be addressed after Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Trump's preference remains a negotiated deal, but expressed doubt that a diplomatic resolution with the current government is achievable.
Havana has responded defiantly. Díaz-Canel, writing on X, accused Trump of trying to "strengthen the blockade and scenario of conflict" and vowed to resist what he called the "imperialist onslaught." Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described the sanctions as "vile" and said they would be met with "greater unity and determination" from the Cuban people. Analysts note, however, that Havana has sent some cautious signals of engagement: the Cuban government publicly disclosed a visit by a CIA director before Washington did — a departure from past practice — and has released some political prisoners. Cuba has maintained it is willing to negotiate without compromising what it considers its sovereignty. Washington and Havana are reported to be in talks, though no concrete results have emerged.