Rubio Announces New Sanctions on Cuba

State Secretary Marco Rubio speaks during a press briefing at the White House on May 5, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch TimesWASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 7 new sanctions against a pair of Cuban state-run enterprises and a business executive accused of financially sustaining the communist state at the expense of the Cuban people.The new sanctions are in line with an executive order that U.S. President Donald Trump issued on May 1, titled “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to United States National Security and Foreign Policy.” These new economic measures are part of a series of recent efforts by the U.S. government to increase pressure on communist Havana.