Trump threatens tariffs on Cuba oil suppliers. Why Washington is escalating pressure | Explained

A tanker truck belonging to the state-owned company Cupet unloads fuel at a gas station in Havana on January 28, 2026. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)

President Trump signed an executive order threatening new tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba, intensifying pressure on the island amid its worst economic crisis. The order targets oil providers and labels Cuba an "extraordinary threat" to US national security.

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order threatening fresh tariffs against countries that supply oil to Cuba, stepping up economic pressure on the communist-led island already struggling under decades of sanctions.

The order does not spell out the scale of the proposed tariffs or name specific countries that could be affected. Those decisions have been left to the US secretary of commerce.

Cuba has remained under a sweeping US embargo since 1962 and, until recently, relied heavily on oil shipments from Venezuela. That supply line has been disrupted after Washington moved against Caracas, removing President Nicolas Maduro from power and effectively taking control of Venezuelan oil exports.

Following that operation, Trump publicly pledged to choke off all oil and financial flows to Havana.

"I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," he warned in a post on social media.

Washington has so far given no indication of what kind of agreement it wants Cuba’s communist government to accept.

Havana reacted sharply to the announcement. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez described the move as a "brutal act of aggression against Cuba and its people, who for more than 65 years have been subjected to the longest and cruelest economic blockade ever imposed," writing on X.

The executive order targets any "country that directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba" and is grounded in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. It formally labels the Cuban government an "extraordinary threat" to US national security.

Several tariffs introduced under the same law are currently facing legal challenges before the US Supreme Court.

By declaring a national emergency related to Cuba, the Trump administration echoed language previously used against Venezuela, accusing Havana of backing hostile states and militant groups.

"The regime aligns itself with -- and provides support for -- numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States," the order said, naming Russia, China and Iran, along with Hamas and Hezbollah.

The latest pressure comes as Cuba grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades. The island has been hit by prolonged power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day, alongside acute shortages of food and medicine. The situation has fueled a mass exodus of Cubans seeking to leave the country.

Mexico has emerged as a key oil supplier to Cuba, although media reports suggest those shipments may be slowing under pressure from Washington. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, speaking earlier this week, declined to confirm or deny the reports but said Mexico would "continue to show solidarity" with Cuba.