US declares Cuba a national security threat, moves to penalise foreign oil suppliers; Mexico pauses shipments

Washington has sharply escalated its pressure on Havana. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that could impose new tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba. The move marks one of the strongest actions yet in his renewed hardline approach towards the communist island.

The order authorises additional duties on imports from any foreign country that “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba”. It was issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

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The White House said the decision was driven by national security concerns and Cuba’s international alliances.

Why Washington says Cuba is a security threat

In the executive order, the US administration described the Cuban government as an “extraordinary threat” to American national security and foreign policy.

It accused Havana of aligning itself with “numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States”, naming China, Russia, and Iran, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Trump said Cuba “blatantly hosts dangerous adversaries of the United States”, allowing them to base “sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities” on its territory. The order also pointed to what it described as Russia’s largest overseas signals intelligence facility operating in Cuba, alongside expanding defence and intelligence cooperation with China.

“The communist regime persecutes and tortures its political opponents; denies the Cuban people free speech and press; corruptly profits from their misery; and commits other human-rights violations,” the order stated.

Trump said the US has “zero tolerance” for the Cuban government’s actions, while claiming Washington remains committed to supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society.

Oil supplies tighten as Mexico pauses shipments

The order comes as Cuba faces growing pressure on its energy supply lines.

According to Al Jazeera, Mexico has temporarily suspended oil shipments to the island. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied that the move was the result of US pressure.

“It is a sovereign decision, and it is made in the moment when necessary,” she told reporters.

Asked if oil supplies would resume, she said: “In any case, it will be reported,” while adding that Mexico would “continue to show solidarity” with Cuba.

Until recently, Mexico had become a critical supplier. Al Jazeera reported that by last month, Mexico accounted for 44 per cent of Cuba’s oil imports, followed by Venezuela at 33 per cent and Russia at around 10 per cent, with smaller volumes from Algeria.

Venezuelan crude supplies halted after former president Nicolas Maduro was captured in a military operation and taken to the US on January 3.

Mexico’s state oil company Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels per day to Cuba between January and September 30, 2025, offering a limited but vital lifeline after Venezuelan supplies dried up.

Trump’s warnings and Havana’s response

Trump has publicly reinforced his position in recent weeks.

On January 11, he wrote on Truth Social: “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” adding, “Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela.”

During a visit to Iowa, he described Cuba as “really a nation that’s very close to failing.”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Washington’s stance, saying Havana remained open to talks.

“We have always been willing to maintain serious and responsible dialogue with the various US administrations, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and the principles of international law,” he said.

Tensions have also played out diplomatically. A Cuban diplomat in Bogota accused Washington of “international piracy” in its efforts to block oil shipments.

“The US is carrying out international piracy in the Caribbean Sea that is restricting and blocking the arrival of oil to Cuba,” Carlos de Cespedes said, adding that the country is facing stronger US threats than at any point in the 67 years since the revolution.

A deepening crisis and strained diplomacy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the Cuban government as a “huge problem”. Trump has gone further, suggesting Rubio could one day lead Cuba, writing: “Sounds good to me!”

Relations between Washington and Havana remain deeply strained. A brief thaw in 2014 was reversed during Trump’s first term, with sanctions reimposed and cruise ship travel banned in 2019.

According to Al Jazeera, Cuba is now experiencing its worst economic crisis since 1959. Fuel shortages, power cuts and disruptions to food and water supplies have become widespread.

Tourism, once generating up to USD 3 billion annually, has fallen by nearly 70 per cent since 2018. With Mexican and Venezuelan oil flows under threat, conditions on the island could deteriorate further.

Mexico, meanwhile, finds itself walking a diplomatic tightrope. It is negotiating a trade agreement with Washington amid tariff threats, while facing mounting US pressure over drug cartels, complicating its long-standing ties with Havana.