US Sanctions Cuban Military-Linked Entities; Havana Slams Move as 'Hostile'

The diplomatic chill between Washington and Havana has deepened again.

The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on 13 Cuban entities and individuals, accusing them of helping the island's military procure weapons and support security operations that Washington says threaten American national security. Cuba has rejected the allegations, calling the move politically motivated and part of a long-running campaign of harassment.

Announcing the sanctions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said five state-linked entities and eight individuals had been designated for their alleged role in supporting Cuba's military establishment and foreign defence cooperation.

Rubio accused Cuba of functioning as a state sponsor of terrorism, alleging that it spies on the United States, supports violent extremist groups and provides Russia, China and Iran with a strategic foothold just 90 miles from the US coastline.

"The United States will not tolerate a rogue state harbouring hostile military, intelligence and terror operations on our doorstep," Rubio said, warning that foreign banks, companies and financial institutions doing business with the sanctioned entities could also face US penalties.

The measures were imposed under President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14404, signed in May this year, which authorises sanctions against individuals and organisations accused of contributing to repression in Cuba or posing threats to US national security and foreign policy.

According to the US State Department, those sanctioned allegedly assisted Cuba's Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in acquiring military equipment from overseas. Washington also singled out GAESA, Cuba's sprawling military-controlled business conglomerate, describing it as a central pillar of the country's security apparatus and a tool of political control.

Havana swiftly pushed back.

In a statement, the Cuban Embassy in Washington dismissed the sanctions as another example of America's "hostile policy of harassment" and insisted the measures would not weaken the country's resolve.

"The Cuban people and Revolution remain steadfast. No sanction can deprive a country of being free and independent," the embassy said.

The latest sanctions mark another escalation in the decades-long US-Cuba standoff, underscoring how relations between the two countries continue to be shaped by disputes over security, ideology and regional influence.

(With inputs from ANI)