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The US Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 94, over the 1996 shootdown of planes operated by an exile group, a move that comes amid Cuba's severe fuel crisis and rising bilateral tensions.
Cuba is suffering its worst energy crisis in decades, with 8–12 hour daily blackouts and acute fuel shortages. Power plants and gas stations are shutting down, crippling daily life and the economy. The government cites U.S. sanctions, reduced allied supplies, and outdated infrastructure as causes.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel says Cuba is open to humanitarian aid from the United States if it follows international norms, but stresses that lifting the decades-old trade embargo would be the most effective way to ease Cubans' suffering. He made the statement amid a severe fuel crisis that has led to widespread blackouts. The U.S. has offered $100 million in aid, conditioned on reforms.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Cuban officials in Havana on April 3 to improve dialogue between the two nations amid strained bilateral relations. Cuba reaffirmed it poses no threat to U.S. security, while the visit follows recent U.S. sanctions and a renewed aid offer.
Cuba is suffering increasingly severe blackouts after the government announced fuel reserves have run dry. Rare protests erupted in neighborhoods near Havana as large areas in the east went dark during nationwide rolling blackouts. President Diaz-Canel blamed the crisis on U.S. sanctions, while the U.S. offered $100 million in aid contingent on distribution through the Catholic Church.
More than 30 U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to top Trump administration officials demanding an end to using Guantánamo Bay for migrant detention and ruling out any military action against Cuba. The letter warns such moves would be unlawful and destabilizing, worsening the humanitarian crisis on the island. It also calls for lifting sanctions that contribute to Cuba's crisis and abandoning any planned military operations.
The US has imposed new sanctions targeting the Cuban military-run conglomerate GAESA, coinciding with UN experts condemning Washington's fuel blockade as 'energy starvation'. The measures include executive president Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera and a joint venture with Canada's Sherritt International, which has suspended Cuban operations.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that US military threats have reached an unprecedented level, criticizing the US president for escalating aggressive rhetoric against Cuba. He called on the international community to intervene and insisted that any invader would face a people determined to defend their sovereignty.
US President Donald Trump announced that Washington will quickly take control of Cuba after concluding its military campaign against Iran, making the statement at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He referenced deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier near Cuba, suggesting the island would surrender. The remarks follow earlier comments about US plans against Cuba and reported secret talks between the US Secretary of State and a relative of Raul Castro.
