Key Facts

• The sanctions affect five Cuban entities, including the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and groups that coordinate visits for pro-government activists.
• Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, and others including the president’s stepson were also sanctioned.
• Alejandro Castro Espín, son of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, was sanctioned and previously indicted in connection to a 1996 incident involving the shooting down of exile group planes.
• The sanctions freeze the assets of those targeted in the U.S. and prevent Americans from doing business with them.
• The measures are part of a continued effort by the Trump administration to increase pressure on Cuba’s communist government and worsen its economic situation.
• The sanctions follow a previous executive order that applied "secondary sanctions" to foreign companies and banks working in key Cuban sectors like energy and mining.
• Critics say these actions hurt ordinary Cubans and do not support the changes needed.
• President Trump described Cuba’s situation as a collapse caused by shortages of fuel, energy, and money, and said the U.S. would deal with it after military operations in Iran.