The United States imposes sanctions on a Cuban military conglomerate and a mining joint venture

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* Sanctions target the military conglomerate GAESA and the Moa Nickel joint venture.

* Sherritt International suspends its participation in the Cuban joint venture following the sanctions

* Cuban officials attribute their economic difficulties to American sanctions and reject calls for political reform

(Additional details, context, and general information throughout the article)
by Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis

The United States on Thursday imposed financial sanctions on a broad conglomerate of companies led by the Cuban army and a Cuban-Canadian mining joint venture, as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on the communist leaders of the island by targeting foreign investment sources.

After the military raid aimed at capturing the leader of Venezuela, a longtime ally of Cuba, in January, U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed

that “Cuba is next on the list” and blocked most oil shipments to the country, exacerbating power cuts on the island.

Trump last week signed an executive order expanding U.S. sanctions against Cuba, a measure that President Miguel Diaz-Canel described as “coercive.”

Under this decree, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration was targeting Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), the military conglomerate that, according to U.S. officials, controls at least 40% of the Cuban economy, as well as its executive president, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera.

These measures also targeted Moa Nickel SA, a joint venture between Toronto-based Sherritt International Corp and the Cuban state company specializing in nickel, which operates nickel and cobalt deposits, Rubio said in a statement, accusing the Cuban government of serving as a platform for intelligence operations of nations hostile to the United States.

Sherritt stated on its website Thursday in a statement that it had immediately suspended its direct involvement in the joint venture activities in Cuba.

The United States has long demanded that Cuba open its state-run economy, pay reparations for properties expropriated by the government of former leader Fidel Castro, and hold “free and fair” elections.

Cuba has stated that its socialist form of government is non-negotiable. Senior Cuban officials accuse Washington of “hinting at military action” to “liberate” Cuba, and claim that decades of U.S. sanctions against the island’s government are the root cause of its economic and social difficulties.

Rubio met earlier in the week with military officials at the U.S. Southern Command in Florida, which oversees American operations in the Caribbean region. He was photographed shaking hands with its commander, General Frank Donovan, in front of a map of Cuba.

“Today’s sanctions show that the Trump administration will not stand idly by as the Cuban communist regime threatens our national security in our hemisphere,” Rubio said on X. “We will continue to act until the regime implements all necessary political and economic reforms.”

These sanctions were announced shortly after Rubio had discussions at the Vatican with Pope Leon, who expressed concerns about the growing tensions between the United States and Cuba and called for dialogue.