Havana City. Photo: Britannica.
The State Department lashes out at the GAESA conglomerate and Moa Nickel.
On Thursday, the United States sanctioned the Business Administration Group (GAESA), its director Ania Lastres, and the mining company Moa Nickel, a joint venture with the Canadian firm Sherritt International.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that these actions aim to “protect U.S. national security” and deprive the Cuban government of access to “illicit assets,” in accordance with the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1.
Meanwhile, Sherritt International announced the immediate suspension of its direct participation in joint ventures in Cuba, exacerbating the economic impact of the U.S. sanctions on strategic sectors.
To justify the arbitrary nature of the new sanctions, the U.S. State Department argued that the GAESA conglomerate belongs to the Cuban military and controls approximately 40% of the national economy.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week repeated unsubstantiated accusations that Cuba is hosting foreign spy bases. “They have rolled out the welcome mat to U.S. adversaries to operate within Cuban territory against our national interests with impunity,” he said. pic.twitter.com/pbnZnzakNC
— Belly of the Beast (@bellybeastcuba) May 7, 2026
In the case of Moa Nickel, it justified the sanctions by claiming that this mining joint venture benefits from assets expropriated from U.S. corporations after the Cuban Revolution.
Rubio accused the Cuban government of “auctioning off the island as a platform for foreign intelligence, military, and terrorist operations” and anticipated further appointments in the coming days.
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These measures come on top of the oil blockade imposed in January, which has deepened the economic and humanitarian crisis in Cuba, considered one of the most severe in its recent history.
Trump has reiterated that he will “take control” of Cuba “almost immediately” and has threatened to deploy the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to Caribbean waters, increasing regional tensions.
(teleSUR)
