The U.S. State Department announces new sanctions targeting Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET), Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company. The announcement comes as tensions between Washington and Havana continue to escalate. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the sanctions are issued under President Donald Trump’s executive order dated May 1, which expands sanctions covering certain Cuban government officials, agents, or other related persons.
Rubio also argues that CUPET’s key assets were “unlawfully expropriated” from American owners in prior years. Other reporting describes CUPET as a major revenue source for Cuba’s government and links the action to broader U.S. efforts to increase pressure on the Cuban state.
The sources agree that the measure is aimed at Cuba’s state-run energy sector through CUPET specifically, and that Rubio publicly frames the decision as part of the executive order authority being applied to Cuba’s leadership and assets. The reports do not provide further details in the excerpts on specific affected parties, enforcement scope, or the immediate operational impact on CUPET.
