Rubio Announces Sanctions on Cuban Officials, Military Firms

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on August 28 announced sanctions targeting five companies and eight Cuban individuals accused of supporting the Caribbean island nation's procurement of military equipment for its armed forces.

In a social media post, Rubio used the decision to reiterate President Donald Trump's threats against the Cuban government, which he described as a threat to US national security.

“The Cuban communist regime is a state sponsor of terrorism, spies on the United States, arms violent leftist groups, spreads poisonous Marxist ideology, and serves as a stepping stone for Russia, China, and Iran just 90 miles from our shores,” Rubio wrote.

“As President Trump has said: The United States will not tolerate a rogue state harboring hostile military, intelligence, and terrorist activities right at our doorstep.”

The announcement is part of a broader trend of escalating sanctions against Cuba, a Caribbean nation with a decades-long standoff with the United States over political and economic ideological differences. President Trump has tightened restrictions on the island since returning to office for a second term in 2025 as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign. He also re-designated Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” a status first applied in January 2021 during the final month of his first term.

Since January, Trump has suggested possible military action against Cuba. This has led to reports indicating the island has bolstered its defenses, including the acquisition of drones.

The August 28 sanctions address US concerns about Cuba's efforts to purchase and maintain military equipment while strengthening ties with countries such as Russia, Iran, and China.

Among the targeted enterprises is Tecnoimport, which the US State Department says imports military equipment from Russia and China on behalf of the Cuban armed forces. The sanctions also target Union de Industria Militar (UIM), a unit that produces and repairs weapons systems, as well as EMI Yuri Gagarin, a facility allegedly responsible for repairing and maintaining Cuba's fleet of Russian-made military aircraft.

The sanctioned individuals include several senior Cuban military leaders, such as Defense Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and Chief of General Staff Roberto Legra Sotolongo. The measures freeze the assets of the targeted entities in the United States and prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Foreign banks and companies with operations in the United States may also face penalties if they continue cooperating with these entities.

This is the latest round of sanctions in a series of aggressive economic actions by the Trump administration against Cuba. Last month, the US Treasury Department sanctioned nine organizations and two individuals accused of helping the Cuban government maintain control over the energy, financial, and overseas medical labor sectors, as well as evading previous sanctions.

The State Department said these measures are based on a 100-page report titled “Cuba: Capital of 21st Century Communism” released last month. The report describes Cuba as a “connector” of a global “anti-American” alliance and accuses Havana of having ideological influence over leftist activist groups in the United States. The report has drawn criticism from academics and activists; Antoni Kapcia, emeritus professor of Latin American history at the University of Nottingham in the UK, called its main arguments “utter nonsense.”

In May, Trump signed an executive order allowing broad sanctions against individuals and organizations accused of supporting Cuba's security apparatus. Rubio referenced this order in his August 28 statement and said the Trump administration would continue using “every tool” to address what Washington perceives as threats from the Cuban government.