The US imposes sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel

The United States has imposed economic sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and his entourage.

The Guardian writes about this.

Also sanctioned were the son and grandson of former President Raul Castro, the wife and stepson of the President of Cuba, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples, and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution.

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that anyone who has financial dealings with these institutions will also be at risk of sanctions.

"Foreign banks and other companies that provide services to these organizations should freeze this activity," Rubio added.

The US Department of Justice recently reported charges against former President Raúl Castro and five other Cubans over the 1996 incident in which Cuban military forces shot down planes during a humanitarian mission in the Strait of Florida.

What is happening between Cuba and the USA?

In late January, the US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over Cuba and threatened tariffs on countries that supply it with oil. He accused Havana of collaborating with Russia, China and Iran, as well as human rights abuses and supporting anti-American forces.

In response, the Cuban government said that it was the United States that posed a threat to the island. Amidst the American restrictions, Cuba faced an acute fuel crisis and large-scale blackouts, which caused disruptions in transportation, hospitals and schools, and public protests.

In March, Trump said the Cuban government was “soon to fall” and expressed a desire to make a deal with it. After the US tariffs, the main oil suppliers — Mexico and Venezuela — effectively stopped supplies to the island. Russia later sent oil and gas tankers to Cuba. Trump said at the time that he did not see a problem with this.

In April, a US State Department delegation visited Cuba for the first time in many years to discuss possible political and economic reforms. And in May, new protests broke out in Havana over diesel and fuel oil shortages.

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