US announces new sanctions on Cuban entities and Tourism Ministry

The United States announced a new round of sanctions on Monday against Cuban state-owned enterprises, militia groups and Cuba’s Tourism Ministry.

The State Department said the measures target what it called the “interlocking pillars” of Cuba’s economic and political apparatus. It said the sanctions cover state-owned entities that send revenue to the Cuban government, as well as paramilitary forces, armed civilian groups and surveillance organisations that it said repress Cubans.

The targeted groups include the Territorial Troops Militia, known by its Spanish acronym MTT, and the Rapid Response Brigades, which the State Department described as para-police groups organised and trained by the Cuban government. The Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution was also listed; the State Department said that group conducts surveillance on dissidents.

The sanctions also apply to several state-owned companies involved in fuel imports and other trade-related industries, as well as Cuba’s Tourism Ministry. The source said tourism is normally one of Cuba’s biggest industries, but visits have fallen this year amid US pressure, and sanctions have led several international hotel groups to close their operations in the country.

Several sanctioned entities are linked to GAESA, a military-run conglomerate that the source described as the main driver of economic activity on the island. GAESA was sanctioned on May 1 and has already started divesting assets in an effort to avoid economic pressure, according to the source.

In a separate statement, the Treasury Department said it did not intend to target non-US persons through August 12 for transactions ordinarily needed to wind down dealings involving GECOMEX and GEMAR, two companies sanctioned on Monday. It urged foreign entities to contact the Treasury’s sanctions compliance office if they cannot wind down transactions before August 12, 2026.