Cuba sanctions hit Construction Ministry, mining firms

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Cuban entities Thursday, including Cuba's Ministry of Construction and several state-owned metals and mining enterprises.

Rubio said the targeted enterprises sustain the Cuban government's repressive apparatus through control of key economic sectors. He also announced sanctions on three top leaders of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, or ICAP, which he said hosts international brigades at facilities across Cuba.

The State Department said ICAP president Fernando Gonzalez Llort, now among those sanctioned, had been convicted in the United States of being a Cuban spy, spent 15 years in prison and continued efforts to destabilize the United States after returning to Cuba through his ICAP role.

Rubio said the designations show the Trump administration will not tolerate what it describes as Cuban efforts to fund repression or pursue subversive anti-American activities.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded on X that Rubio “continues to punish Cuban companies” with what Rodriguez called the deliberate aim of harming Cuba's economy and preventing its government from guaranteeing basic services.

Rubio also accused Cuba of sponsoring a subversive network in the United States under the cover of educational or cultural exchange. He said Cuba recently tried to use Fidel Castro's 100th birthday to revive that network by bringing international sympathizers to Havana, but he did not identify the alleged sympathizers.

The measures are part of a pressure campaign the Trump administration launched in January against Cuba's communist government. The administration has accused Cuba of threatening US national security by aiding adversaries including Russia, China and Iran, and has more recently emphasized alleged ties with left-wing movements in the United States.

An oil blockade imposed on Cuba has worsened already difficult living conditions, while sanctions including measures targeting the military-controlled conglomerate GAESA have deterred foreign businesses and cash.