US Imposes New Sanctions on Cuban Individuals and Companies

The United States government declared new sanctions on Tuesday against several Cuban individuals and companies as part of its continued economic pressure on the Havana administration.

The latest sanctions encompass five Cuban companies associated with the Business Management Group in Cuba (GAESA), along with Anali Liliam, the wife of Alejandro Castro Espín, son of former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

The U.S. State Department specified that the sanctions target GAESA’s financial intermediaries, "Rafin" and "Banco Financiero Internacional," in addition to the group's logistics arm "Almacenajes Universales," the state mining company "Quimimera," and "Antiana de Acero," Cuba’s largest steel producer.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that GAESA continues to function as a financial force supporting the Cuban regime’s security apparatus.

The sanctions mandate the freezing of any assets under U.S. jurisdiction belonging to the designated entities and individuals. They also prohibit these parties from accessing the U.S. financial system or conducting transactions with U.S. entities.

These measures form part of a series of actions taken by Washington in recent months aimed at intensifying pressure on Cuba, targeting companies and individuals linked to the Cuban government.

In recent weeks, the United States imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and several members of the Castro family, including Alejandro Castro Espín, before extending restrictions to his wife, Anali Liliam.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez criticized the U.S. decision, posting on the platform X that the American government continues to tighten economic pressure on Cuba.

Alejandro Castro Espín is a prominent figure in Cuban-American relations, having played a role in secret negotiations that led to the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2015.

Media reports have indicated that members of the Castro Espín family reside in the U.S. state of Florida.

These sanctions come amid a worsening economic crisis in Cuba, characterized by shortages of subsidized food, declining fuel and medicine supplies, and limited access to drinking water.

Power outages exceeding 30 hours have become frequent in several parts of the island.

Since January, Cuba has faced a severe energy crisis after losing one of its main oil suppliers, Venezuela, due to U.S. pressure on oil trade destined for the island.

In April, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that the country is under a blockade preventing oil imports, affirming that Cuba will not succumb to external pressures.

Speaking to the American network NBC, Díaz-Canel said, "We have a free sovereign state, we have the right to self-determination and independence, and we are not subject to U.S. plans."

He added, "The U.S. government that practiced this hostile policy against Cuba has no right to demand anything from our country," emphasizing that "the concept of surrender or stepping down is not part of our vocabulary."

In January, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened unspecified consequences for Cuba, warning against the continued flow of Venezuelan oil and funds to the island.

Díaz-Canel responded at the time by affirming Cuba as a "free and independent nation," stressing that "no one dictates what we do."

The recent sanctions extend the Trump administration’s pressure policy on Havana, which included sanctions on officials and companies linked to the Cuban regime, alongside measures targeting the energy sector.

In response to these pressures, Russia has increased its support for Cuba in recent months. At the end of March, the Russian oil tanker "Anatoli Kolodkin" arrived in Cuba carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil, marking the first shipment Cuba received since January.

In early April, Moscow announced its readiness to send a second oil tanker, while Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov expressed Moscow’s full solidarity with Cuba during a visit to Havana.

Díaz-Canel expressed gratitude to Russia for the oil supplies, stating that this support demonstrates that Cuba "is not alone."

Relations between the United States and Cuba have a long history of tension since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, with a relative thaw following the resumption of diplomatic relations in 2015 under former U.S. President Barack Obama, before escalating again under the more stringent policies of the Trump administration.

Alina Fernández experienced an ideal childhood in Havana before her life was upended upon discovering that the man who raised her was not her biological father.

At that time, her mother Natalia Revuelta informed her that her real father was not the doctor Orlando Fernández, whom she knew, but Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the figure dominating television screens and public life in Cuba.

Decades later, Fernández, now 70 and residing in the United States, continues to speak about the shock and sense of betrayal she felt upon learning this truth.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Fernández said she understood from the start that Castro would not be a father in the traditional sense, despite her mother’s efforts to maintain a connection between them.

She believes that regimes do not collapse on their own but require external pressure to end them, considering that the Cuban people alone cannot bring change under the current system.

While she does not advocate, in principle, for a U.S. invasion of her country, she noted that many inside Cuba feel their situation has become unbearable.

Fernández stars in the new documentary "Daughter of the Revolution," which premiered in Miami and features stories of several Cuban exiles.

The film’s title reflects the contradiction in her life; she is the daughter of the man who led the Cuban revolution yet is one of its most prominent critics.

She says exile has not severed her ties to her homeland, adding, "We live here, but our homeland is there."

Her story traces back to a wealthy Havana family before the revolution. Her mother, Natalia Revuelta, was a prominent supporter of the anti-Batista revolutionary movement, helping to finance and host meetings for the rebels.

During that period, Revuelta developed a relationship with Fidel Castro, resulting in Alina’s birth, though the truth about her paternity remained secret for years until her mother decided to reveal it.

After the secret was exposed, Orlando Fernández left for the United States with another daughter from the family, cutting ties with Alina, who still considers him her true father despite the revelations.

Following the revolution’s victory, Alina stayed in Havana with her mother, while Castro appeared sporadically in her life. She describes their relationship as strange and unstable, with Castro visiting occasionally and then disappearing for long periods.

When offered the chance to carry his name, she declined to preserve her independence, though distancing herself from his shadow was nearly impossible in a country where daily life was intertwined with the leader’s persona and speeches.

From an early age, she opposed some of her father’s policies, rejecting the compulsory "volunteer work" in the fields and criticizing restrictions on small economic activities.

She asserts that ideology divided Cuban families and caused deep societal rifts, noting that her conversations with Castro were always one-sided, as he preferred to express his views rather than listen.

In 1993, after years of repression and economic crisis, she fled Cuba disguised as a Spanish tourist, leaving behind her teenage daughter, who later joined her in the United States through mediation by American pastor Jesse Jackson.

Fernández settled in Miami and worked as a lab technician before briefly returning to Cuba in 2014 to care for her ill mother. Revuelta died the following year, having remained loyal to Castro until the end, a loyalty Fernández says she could neither understand nor accept.

Despite her harsh criticism of her father, she acknowledges his global influence and pivotal role in spreading liberation movement ideas in the twentieth century. However, she emphasizes that her true pride lies in building her identity independently of his heavy legacy.

Fernández openly admires U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio but warns against underestimating the Cuban leadership.

She doubts that Raúl Castro, who led the country from 2008 to 2018, remains the actual decision-maker and says she lacks accurate information about the current power dynamics in Havana, especially since she has never felt part of the Castro family.

Despite decades in exile and struggles with her father’s legacy, Fernández retains a deep longing for the island she left.

She describes her first return to Cuba after many years as an emotional experience full of conflicting feelings and says she dreams of living there again if the country undergoes the changes she hopes for.

She concludes by stating that Cuba, despite all the pain and intertwined memories it represents, remains the homeland she has never been able to fully leave in her heart.