US imposes new sanctions on Cuban president and Castro family members

The United States has imposed new economic sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and some members of his immediate family, as well as members of Raul Castro's family, in the latest escalation of Washington's pressure on the island's communist government.

Among those targeted by the sanctions are former President Raul Castro's son Alejandro Castro Espin and grandson Raul Alejandro Castro Calis, who no longer holds official office but remains a key figure in deciding the country's future.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lise Cuesta Peraza, and his stepson were also hit by the latest sanctions issued on Thursday by the US Treasury Department, as well as the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and several other entities.

The United States has had an embargo on Cuba for decades, but President Donald Trump has significantly increased pressure on the island in recent months and is openly considering the possibility of taking control of it.

The de facto fuel blockade has deepened the island's energy crisis and hit an already fragile economy.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Platform X that the US is “targeting the network that enables and finances Cuba’s subversive and radical operations” because the US “will no longer tolerate radical Marxist regimes” that export their “toxic and evil ‘revolution’” to the US and elsewhere.

Rubio said the sanctions now apply to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples, Amistur Cuba and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution.

"Anyone who provides services to these sanctioned actors risks being subject to sanctions themselves. Foreign banks and other companies that provide services to these entities should freeze those activities," Rubio said.

The latest sanctions follow a move in 2025 when Washington restricted visas for the Cuban president and other high-ranking government officials.

Trump has repeatedly hinted that the Cuban government could be the next after Venezuela to buckle under US pressure.