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The United States (US) Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has announced sanctions against companies linked to Cuba’s military-controlled business conglomerate, Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA).
In a post shared on X on Tuesday, Rubio accused the country’s communist government of diverting resources away from ordinary citizens while tightening its grip on power.
He said the situation in Cuba was “devolving” as the island’s “corrupt, brutal and anti-American Communist regime continues to prioritise its own total control over the freedom, opportunity and basic wellbeing of the Cuban people.”
He accused GAESA of enriching regime elites at the expense of the population.
“The Cuban military-controlled conglomerate GAESA has persistently served as the main vector for regime elites to steal the island’s few resources, diverting them for repression, anti-American subversion and spying instead of schools, power plants, and basic necessities for the Cuban people,” Rubio wrote.
Rubio said he had designated five entities within the GAESA network, including companies that manage the conglomerate’s finances and assets, as well as firms linked to the exploitation of Cuba’s mineral and metal reserves and the wife of Alejandro Castro Espín.
Rubio also issued a warning to international financial institutions and businesses, saying that those that continue to provide services to sanctioned entities could face U.S. penalties.
“Anyone providing services to these sanctioned actors is at risk of being sanctioned themselves,” he said.
“Foreign banks and other companies that provide services to these entities should freeze those activities immediately.”
The latest measures are part of a broader pressure campaign by the Trump administration against Havana.
In May, Washington sanctioned GAESA itself, its leadership and state-owned mining company Moa Nickel S.A., citing their alleged role in supporting the Cuban government and generating revenue for the ruling elite.
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14404, which allows the United States to target individuals and entities accused of enabling repression in Cuba or threatening U.S. national security interests.
GAESA is widely regarded as one of the most powerful institutions in Cuba. U.S. officials argue that the conglomerate concentrates wealth and resources in the hands of the Cuban leadership, while Cuba maintains that GAESA plays a vital role in sustaining the country’s economy amid decades of U.S. sanctions.
The sanctions come as Cuba faces one of its worst economic crises in decades, marked by recurring power outages, fuel shortages, food scarcity and declining tourism revenues.
Havana has repeatedly blamed the long-standing U.S. embargo and recent sanctions for worsening economic conditions, while Washington argues that government mismanagement and corruption are primarily responsible for the country’s hardships.
The situation in Cuba is devolving as the island’s corrupt, brutal and anti-American Communist regime continues to prioritize its own total control over the freedom, opportunity and basic wellbeing of the Cuban people.
The Cuban military-controlled conglomerate GAESA has…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 23, 2026
