Trump signs order threatening tariffs on oil shipments to Cuba

Summary

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would impose tariffs on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, ratcheting up pressure on Havana as Cuba faces a deepening energy crisis. The move, the Associated Press reported, could further cripple an island already strained by shortages and by the impact of U.S. sanctions.

Trump’s order is written to apply to the broader category of countries supplying oil to Cuba, and it arrives with clear attention on Mexico. The AP reported that Mexico has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to maintain a relationship with Trump even as U.S. pressure has intensified.

Asked by a reporter Thursday whether he was trying to “choke off” Cuba, which he called a “failing nation,” Trump responded that the phrase was “awfully tough” and said, “I’m not trying to, but, it looks like it’s something that’s just not going to be able to survive.” Cuban officials, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, condemned the order.

Rodríguez described the tariff threat as a “brutal act of aggression against Cuba and its people,” and he accused the United States of using “blackmail and coercion to try to force other countries to join its universally condemned blockade policy against Cuba.” The order added to condemnation already voiced by Cuban officials as the island navigates multiple layers of economic strain.

The AP said the executive order also comes amid speculation that Mexico might reduce or cut off oil shipments to Cuba as Trump presses Mexico to distance itself from the Cuban government. Cuba has relied on foreign assistance and oil shipments from partners including Mexico, Russia and Venezuela, according to the report, with U.S. action against Venezuela’s Maduro government also altering the flow of fuel to Cuba.

In a data point the report used to illustrate how shipments may have shifted, Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba from January through Sept. 30, 2025. After a later period began, the AP reported, Jorge Piñon, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who tracks shipments using satellite technology, said the figure had fallen to about 7,000 barrels.

In Mexico, uncertainty over the practical effect of U.S. pressure has played out in official statements. The AP reported that Sheinbaum had been vague when asked about shipments and avoided clarifying details in her morning press briefings, and that her comments included both language about pauses and language suggesting decisions were not made under direct U.S. pressure.

On Tuesday, Sheinbaum said Pemex had at least temporarily paused some oil shipments to Cuba. She also described the pause as part of general fluctuations in oil supplies and as a “sovereign decision,” while saying Mexico would continue to show solidarity with Havana without specifying the form of support.

On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said she had not described a complete “suspended” stop to “humanitarian aid” and that decisions about shipments to Cuba are determined by Pemex contracts. “So the contract determines when shipments are sent and when they are not sent,” Sheinbaum said. The AP reported that Trump and Sheinbaum spoke by phone Thursday morning, and that Sheinbaum said they did not discuss Cuba.

Sheinbaum told reporters that Mexico’s foreign affairs secretary discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that it was “very important” for Mexico to maintain its humanitarian aid to Cuba, and that Mexico was willing to serve as an intermediary between the U.S. and Cuba. Still, the AP noted that the ambiguity in the signals from Mexico has underscored how much pressure the Trump administration’s moves are placing on Latin American governments.

On the island, Cuba has also faced its own uncertain conditions and public messaging about whether the situation is a direct threat. The AP reported that some drivers sat in long lines for gasoline this week, uncertain about what might come next, and that a commentator on Cuban state television, Jorge Legañoa, said Cuba was “not a threat” and instead characterized Cuba’s approach as focused on fighting gangs and preventing drug trafficking.

Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos F. de Cossio, writing on the social media platform X, said the United States was tightening its Cuban blockade after “the failure of decades of relentless economic warfare” and attempting to “force sovereign states to join the embargo.” He added, “Under threat of tariff coercion, they must decide whether to forgo their right to export their own fuel to Cuba,” as the executive order’s reach remained unclear.