Government of Cuba

Force in Play

Invoking military defense doctrine against declared 'imminent' US threat while admitting critical fuel shortage; GAESA designated under EO 14404 with June 5 foreign-company compliance deadline

On May 1, Trump signed Executive Order 14404, targeting GAESA, Cuba's military conglomerate controlling roughly 40% of the island's economy, with secondary sanctions and giving foreign companies until June 5 to exit. That evening in Florida, he told a crowd the US would take Cuba 'almost immediately' after Iran, describing a carrier stopping offshore until Havana 'gives up.'

Updated 7 days ago

Force in Play

Target of U.S. economic pressure campaign

The United States has imposed economic pressure on Cuba for 64 years. Now, for the first time, Washington is threatening to punish any country that sells oil to the island. President Trump's January 29 executive order creates a tariff mechanism targeting third countries that supply Cuban fuel—a significant escalation that goes beyond traditional bilateral sanctions to coerce allies and trading partners into joining an energy blockade. The strategy has proven devastatingly effective: Cuba's national power grid collapsed entirely on March 17, 2026, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity and triggering ten consecutive days of street protests—the most visible civil unrest in years. Partial restoration occurred on March 18 after 29 hours, but the blackout deepened shortages of food, medicine, and water, and included the vandalization of a Cuban Communist Party provincial office in Morón, signaling fractures in state control. On March 21, Cuba blocked a US Embassy request to import diesel for generators, escalating diplomatic tensions amid ongoing rolling blackouts.

Updated Mar 21