US Imposes New Economic Sanctions on Cuba Targeting Mining and Construction

The US Treasury Department on July 13 announced a new round of sanctions against Cuba, targeting nine state-owned companies operating in the mining, metals, and construction sectors. The list includes Cuba's Ministry of Construction and several government-controlled import companies.

The mining group GEOMINSAL—Cuba's mineral extraction and trading entity—was also included. Cuba holds significant reserves of cobalt and nickel.

In addition to the nine enterprises, the US sanctioned three leaders of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), a state-run organization that promotes international relations.

In a statement drafted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Trump administration described the sanctioned individuals and entities as threats to national security. Rubio, a long-time advocate for regime change in Cuba, accused the mining and construction companies of helping to “maintain the regime's repressive apparatus.”

He also criticized ICAP for allegedly organizing a “subversive network” of “international sympathizers” aimed at supporting the Cuban government.

“The Trump administration will not stand by while a hostile foreign power seeks to exploit our freedoms—which the people of that country do not enjoy—by deceiving and corrupting American citizens with lies, espionage tactics, and other wrongdoing,” Rubio wrote. He further alleged that ICAP's activities help Cuba achieve its goal of “exporting Marxism, racial hatred, and communist violence worldwide.”

The US has long sought to isolate Cuba over political differences, but the Trump administration is now intensifying its “maximum pressure” campaign to topple the Cuban government. Following a military operation that captured and detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Trump turned his attention to Cuba, an island located about 145 kilometers from the US state of Florida.

In remarks earlier this year, Trump suggested that after the US-Israel war against Iran ends, “Cuba would be the next target” in his regime change plans. He floated the idea of a “friendly takeover” of the island and has engaged in negotiations with Cuban officials. Media reports indicate he has demanded Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel step down.

To increase pressure on Díaz-Canel's government, the Trump administration has rolled out a series of measures aimed at destabilizing Cuba's economy. These include an effective fuel blockade that began in January, when the US cut off oil supplies from Venezuela and threatened tariffs on any country exporting fuel to Cuba. Since then, only one Russian oil tanker has docked in Cuba.

In May, Trump issued a new executive order allowing the government to impose sweeping sanctions on those “responsible for repression” in Cuba. The economic measures announced on July 13 cite this order as their legal basis.

Trump’s pressure campaign has contributed to widespread blackouts and shortages of essential goods, including medicines, in Cuba. UN officials warn this could lead to a humanitarian crisis. In March, a group of UN experts warned that the fuel blockade amounts to an illegal form of “energy starvation.”

The following month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk pointed to a rapid rise in infant mortality and a decline in survival rates among children with cancer. He warned that the tightening restrictions on Cuba are directly causing these negative health outcomes.

“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and the recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, combined, are directly harming the Cuban people, especially the most vulnerable,” Türk said. “These sanctions must be lifted immediately.”

However, the Trump administration continues to argue that Cuba poses a national security threat to the US, justifying the maintenance of sanctions.