United States threatened international financial institutions with secondary sanctions, reinforcing the extraterritorial nature of its economic blockade against the Caribbean island.
The U.S. Government imposed new unilateral coercive measures on June 23 against five Cuban enterprises and one citizen, intensifying the economic, commercial and financial blockade that Washington maintains against Cuba for 6 decades.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the inclusion of these strategic Cuban entities on the unilateral restrictive list. The hostile measures target vital logistics, financial and industrial sectors of the Caribbean nation to disrupt its internal commerce.
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Specifically, the new sanctions **affect the financial firm Rafin and the International Financial Bank (**BFI). The White House also designated the logistics company Universal Stores (Almacenes Universales, in Spanish) as all three institutions maintain relations with the previously sanctioned business group Gaesa.
The economic blockade also targets the heavy industrial sector. The State Department included the state-run enterprise Geominera and the Jose Marti Steel Enterprise, known as Antillana de Acero, which serves as the primary metallurgical complex in the island nation.
Furthermore, individual sanctions targeted Cuban citizen Annalie Lilliam Rueda Cardero, the wife of Alejandro Castro Espin, whom the U.S. administration previously targeted in what Cuban authorities describe as political maneuvers aimed at forcing unconstitutional “regime change” on the island.
The #US government, led by its dishonest and mendacious Secretary of State, continues to take steps to tighten the siege around the Cuban economy, when the latter is proving to be stronger, more capable and efficient than it expected in the face of a ruthless aggression and the… pic.twitter.com/U5hDA7VbYE
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) June 23, 2026
Extraterritorial Financial Siege
The State Department accompanied these designations with an explicit threat of secondary penalties. Washington warned that it will apply aggressive financial sanctions to any foreign bank or private corporation executing commercial transactions with these designated Cuban actors worldwide.
This mechanism highlights the extraterritorial nature of the hostile U.S. policy. By threatening international partners, the U.S. Government attempts to isolate Cuba from global trade networks and restrict sovereign nations from engaging in legitimate economic exchanges.
While U.S. officials claim these actions defend Human Rights, Cuba maintains this narrative lacks factual basis. Instead, the unilateral policy seeks to hide the direct humanitarian damage caused to the civilian population by blocking access to international markets.
Severe Humanitarian Impact
These new restrictions fall under the framework of Executive Order 14404, signed on May 1. This action is not isolated but represents a systematic campaign of economic strangulation that has accelerated throughout this year.
Just weeks ago, **Washington blacklisted the state-owned oil enterprise company (**Cupet). This aggressive decision directly disrupted energy supplies required for public hospitals, power generation plants, and municipal water distribution systems across the country.
The ongoing blockade prevents the acquisition of basic supplies, fuel, and electrical infrastructure. By targeting these essential industries, the U.S. administration continues to cause deliberate energy shortages and financial instability for eleven million Cuban citizens.
The systematic denial of resources has generated critical blackouts and fuel shortages. The U.S. administration blames Cuban authorities for the domestic crisis, yet it deliberately conceals how its own commercial blockade prevents the purchase of necessary technology.
Consequently, these unilateral coercive measures violate international law and the sovereignty of the Caribbean island. Cuba continues to demand the immediate end of this financial blockade, which remains the main obstacle to its economic development.
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