U.S. hits Cuba with new sanctions as island’s crises multiply
The U.S. government has imposed new sanctions on Cuba, targeting individuals and state-owned companies to further pressure the island's struggling economy. Experts suggest these measures are intended to exacerbate civilian hardship and destabilize the current regime.
Why it matters
The sanctions represent a significant escalation in U.S.-Cuba relations, potentially worsening the humanitarian and energy crises on the island.
The U.S. government on Thursday (September 3, 2026) slapped new sanctions on Cuba in a fresh push to strangle the island’s economy and deepen its multiple crises.
Among those hit with sanctions are Fidel Ernesto Castro, grandson of former President Raúl Castro, and Cuba’s Oil Industry Supply Import Company, known as Abapet. The company is responsible for importing special equipment and spare parts needed to sustain Cuba’s crumbling power grid.
The sanctions aim to push Cuba’s critical machinery offline and exacerbate its energy crisis, said Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert and managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, a consulting firm.
“The U.S. is trying to really tighten the screws as much as possible,” he said.
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