U.S. Weighs Total Oil Blockade on Cuba
This development comes as Washington is said to be evaluating additional tactics to weaken the Cuban government’s hold and is also looking for internal allies within the island to support such efforts.
Officials within the Trump administration who oppose the Cuban leadership are the ones pushing for this proposal, and it has reportedly gained the endorsement of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, President Donald Trump has not yet reached a final decision on whether to move forward with the full blockade.
Last week, Trump announced that he would halt shipments of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, but some advisers argue that expanding this policy into a total blockade would tighten the economic “chokehold” around the island and significantly pressure the regime. Critics within the government believe cutting off energy supplies could be decisive in forcing political change.
Cuba has been subject to a U.S. trade embargo since the 1960s, but it has not faced the prospect of a naval-style blockade since 1962, when President John F. Kennedy imposed a 13-day “quarantine” to stop Soviet missiles from reaching the country.
Following the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump warned that Cuba could be “ready to fall” next and urged it to “make a deal, before it is too late,” though he did not detail what such an agreement would entail.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has dismissed the threats, asserting firmly that “Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation” and insisting that “nobody dictates what we do.”
This possible shift toward an outright oil blockade represents a significant escalation in U.S. pressure on Cuba, building on existing sanctions and reflecting deeper strategic aims in the region.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
