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The United States has imposed additional sanctions on five Cuban entities and eight individuals accused of helping the Cuban government procure military equipment, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing Cuba as a persistent threat to US national security.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Rubio said the sanctions were part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to counter what it described as Cuba’s support for hostile foreign activities and domestic repression.
“The Cuban Communist regime is a state sponsor of terrorism that uses its military and intelligence apparatus to spy on the United States, provide material support to violent radicals and terrorist groups, and spread poisonous Marxist ideology within our borders and polity,” Rubio said.
He also accused Havana of serving “as a staging ground for other US adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran to conduct operations against the United States.”
According to Rubio, Cuba’s military and intelligence agencies are responsible not only for advancing the country’s security interests but also for enforcing domestic repression and facilitating corruption.
“Cuba’s military and intelligence institutions are also the key enforcers of domestic repression and nodes of kleptocracy, notably through the military-run conglomerate Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA),” he said.
Rubio announced that the sanctions target individuals and organisations involved in acquiring military equipment for Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and the country’s security services.
“Today, the Trump Administration is taking further action to protect our national security by sanctioning entities and individuals who facilitate Havana’s military relationships and the shipments of arms to the Cuban regime,” he said.
The measures were imposed under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14404, signed on May 1, 2026, titled “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to United States National Security and Foreign Policy.”
“Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order (E.O.) 14404… I am designating five Cuban entities and eight individuals involved in the procurement of military equipment from abroad for the Cuban regime’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and security forces,” Rubio said.
He added that the administration would continue using sanctions and other measures to pressure the Cuban government into political and economic reforms.
“The Trump Administration will continue to use every tool at our disposal to address the national security threats posed by the Cuban Communist regime, and to drive economic and political reforms to give the Cuban people a better future,” Rubio said.
Quoting Trump, Rubio concluded: “The United States will not tolerate a rogue state harboring hostile foreign military, intelligence, and terror operations just ninety miles from the American homeland.”
The latest sanctions mark another escalation in the Trump administration’s hardline policy toward Cuba.
Since returning to office, Trump has restored and expanded sanctions targeting the Cuban government, reversing efforts under previous administrations to ease restrictions and improve bilateral relations.
Washington has long designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, accusing the island nation of supporting terrorist groups and providing safe haven to individuals wanted by US authorities.
Cuba has consistently rejected those allegations, arguing that the designation is politically motivated and that U.S. sanctions have inflicted severe economic hardship on the country.
The new measures follow heightened geopolitical tensions, with the United States increasingly scrutinising Cuba’s ties with Russia, China and Iran, which U.S. officials say pose growing security challenges in the Western Hemisphere.
