The US government has imposed sanctions on Cuba's state-owned oil and gas company, Cupet, in a move that experts say will further exacerbate the island's economic crisis and harm vulnerable Cubans.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Cuba's government of weaponizing energy and diverting resources to line the pockets of its leaders, while also hoarding energy supplies for its military and repressive forces.
Cuba's foreign affairs minister, Bruno Rodríguez, pushed back against Rubio's comments, calling them 'vulgar lies' and 'ignorant rhetoric'.
Experts warn that the sanctions will make it difficult for private importers to store and distribute diesel, potentially triggering mass migration and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
The US has previously sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials, as well as several institutions, in a bid to change Cuba's economic and political model.
Cuba is already struggling under a decades-old embargo and a lack of petroleum, with power outages intensifying since the US threatened tariffs on oil sales to the island.
