On July 13, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions on Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism and two state-owned companies, Grupo Empresarial de Transporte Maritimo Portuario (GEMAR) and Grupo Empresarial del Comercio Exterior (GECOMEX). The sanctions directive was made public on the Treasury’s website the same day.
Companies and financial institutions globally engaged with GEMAR, GECOMEX, or Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism must wind down existing contracts by August 12, 2026, to avoid sanctions. This deadline allows entities a month to cease dealings with these Cuban government-related bodies.
US-Cuba Tensions and Energy Blockade
The sanctions come amid escalating tensions between Havana and Washington. This
build-up follows a May 2026 US executive order that authorized asset freezes on individuals and organizations supporting Cuba’s government and economy and increased pressure on banks transacting with Cuban entities. The unilateral US oil blockade, triggered after the January 2026 abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has severed Cuba’s principal fuel supply, resulting in widespread energy shortages.
The fuel blockade has provoked multiple electricity blackouts across Cuba in 2026, including a nationwide outage affecting over 10 million people on a Friday in July. This outage was the second within that week and the fourth of the year. Mexico, under US
pressure, also stopped oil shipments to Cuba, further straining the Cuban energy situation.
Official Statements on Sanctions and Security
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz characterized Cuba’s regime as a national security threat, accusing Russia and China of intelligence-gathering activities around US military bases in Cuba. During a UN General Assembly session, Waltz held Cuba’s leadership responsible for the electricity outages and urged them to change course to restore power to the Cuban population.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla condemned the sanctions as collective punishment and labeled them a systematic violation of human rights affecting the Cuban people. He cited US embargo-related damages
totaling $8 billion between March 2025 and February 2026 and emphasized the severe impact of the fuel blockade on the island’s economy.
Geopolitical Background Behind Sanctions
The US sanctions and energy blockade are rooted in deteriorating geopolitical dynamics in the region. The January 2026 abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US disrupted Cuba’s primary energy supply line from Venezuela. This event prompted the US and Mexico to halt oil exports to Cuba, intensifying Havana’s fuel crisis.
The sanctions targeting Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism and related state-owned companies aim to apply economic pressure by restricting business interactions with entities integral to Cuba’s economy.
These measures are part of broader US efforts to increase costs on the Cuban government amid ongoing political and security concerns.
