Marco Rubio: "Trump and I Stand Firm on Cuba's Path to Freedom"

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Thursday that both he and President Donald Trump remain steadfast in their unwavering commitment to ensuring "Cuba will be free." This announcement follows a new series of sanctions aimed at the Cuban regime.

The latest measures target Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, the grandson of Raúl Castro, along with the Banco Exterior de Cuba and four state-owned entities linked to Cuba's energy and mining sectors.

In a post on X, Rubio criticized the ruling Cuban elite, accusing them of enriching themselves while the general populace suffers from severe shortages.

"The elites of the Cuban communist regime preside over a failed state where ordinary Cubans go hungry while the Castro family and their associates grow wealthier through sanction evasion and other illicit schemes. They aim to export their subversive Marxist ideology to the United States and other nations in the Western Hemisphere. President Trump and I are unwavering in our commitment that Cuba will be free," Rubio asserted.

Born on May 16, 1995, Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis is the son of Alejandro Castro Espín—already sanctioned last June—and the grandson of Raúl Castro. This designation marks a milestone: it is the first time Washington's sanctions have reached three generations of the Castro family.

Alongside Castro Calis, five entities have been designated: Banco Exterior de Cuba, a state financial institution based in Havana; Comercial CUPET S.A., the commercial arm of Unión Cuba-Petróleo; ABAPET, a petroleum supply import company; NICAROTEC, offering mining support services in Mayarí, Holguín; and CEXNI, a nickel import and supply company located in Moa, Holguín.

The sanctions were coordinated by the State Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the Treasury Department, under the authority of Executive Order 14404, signed by President Trump on May 1, 2026. This order also enables secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions dealing with the designated entities.

The official statement from the State Department included another declaration from Rubio: "While the Cuban people suffer, the Castro family and their accomplices in the repressive Ministry of the Interior continue to exert total control over the island's economy, hoarding resources for the benefit of a small group of regime elites."

This action is part of a maximum pressure campaign that has imposed over 240 sanctions against Cuba since January 2026.

In June, Washington had already designated Alejandro Castro Espín, his wife Annalie Lilliam Rueda Cardero, and his son Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis, as well as President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, and his stepson Manuel Anido Cuesta.

In August, eight Cuban state companies linked to nickel, steel, and tourism were added to the Specially Designated Nationals list, and weeks earlier, five entities in the arms sector met the same fate.

Analysts have noted the deliberate exclusion of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and also a grandson of Raúl Castro, from all sanction lists to date. The prevailing interpretation is that Washington preserves him as a potential informal communication channel with Havana.

Along with the designations, OFAC issued Cuba General License 4A, allowing transactions for diplomatic and consular missions from third countries on the island, a relief valve aimed at not impacting international diplomatic presence in the country.

Rubio concluded his statement with a declaration of intent summarizing the Trump administration's strategy: "These designations reflect President Trump's unwavering vision of a free Cuba, where the regime's illicit financial networks, repressive apparatuses, and Castro-era power structures are dismantled."