President Donald Trump declared a national emergency through an executive order on Cuba on Thursday, accusing the communist regime of aligning itself with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups as it seeks to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil.
Thursday executive order states that the Cuban government’s policies and actions “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat, originating wholly or substantially outside the United States, to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
To counter that threat, Trump ordered the creation of a tariff mechanism that would allow the U.S. to impose additional duties on imports from foreign countries that “directly or indirectly sell or otherwise supply oil to Cuba,” the order said.
The White House said the move marks a significant escalation of U.S. pressure on the Cuban government aimed at protecting U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Maduro’s capture is ‘beginning of the end’ for Cuba’s regime, says House Intelligence Chair
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday imposing tariffs on countries that supply oil to the Cuban regime. (Al Drago/Reuters)
In the order, Trump said Cuba aligns with and supports “numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors hostile to the United States,” naming Russia, China, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The administration said Cuba hosts Russia’s largest overseas intelligence facility, which the order says seeks to steal sensitive U.S. national security information. The order also states that Cuba will continue to deepen intelligence and defense cooperation with China.
According to the order, Cuba “welcomes transnational terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”
Trump also cited the Cuban government’s human rights record, accusing the regime of persecuting and torturing political opponents, denying freedom of speech and the press, and retaliating against families of political prisoners who protest peacefully.
“The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime,” Trump said in the order, adding that the administration will act to hold the regime accountable while supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society.
CUBA’S SHADOW IN VENEZUELA: HAVANA’S INTELLIGENCE AND MILITARY TIES EXPOSED AFTER MADURO RAID
Trump also cited the Cuban government’s human rights record and alleged retaliation against families of political prisoners who protest peacefully. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Under the order, the Commerce Department will determine whether a foreign country supplies oil to Cuba, directly or through intermediaries. The State Department, working with the Treasury Department, Homeland Security, Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative, will decide whether and how high the new tariffs should be, if so.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is charged with monitoring the national emergency and reporting to Congress, while the Commerce Department will continue to monitor which countries supply oil to Cuba.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, left, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, June 12, 2024, in Moscow. (AP photo, file)
In one fact sheetThe White House said the order is intended to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy from the Cuban regime’s “malign actions and policies,” describing the move as part of Trump’s broader efforts to confront regimes that threaten U.S. interests.
The administration said the move builds on Trump’s first-term Cuba policy, which reversed Obama-era involvement and reintroduced tougher measures against the communist government.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The executive order takes effect Friday.
