Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has warned that Donald Trump’s new tariffs on countries sending oil to Cuba could trigger a humanitarian crisis on the island, which is already suffering from chronic fuel shortages and regular blackouts. The US president signed an executive order on Thursday declaring a national emergency and laying the groundwork for such tariffs, ratcheting up pressure on the Cuban government.
A White House statement cited Cuba’s alleged ties to Russia, Hamas and Hezbollah to explain the move. While Mexico was not named, it has been the top oil supplier to Cuba since 2025, surpassing Russia and Venezuela. Sheinbaum said on Friday that her government would seek more information from the US state department while exploring alternative ways to provide humanitarian aid.
“We will seek a way, without putting Mexico at risk, of course, but always seeking solidarity with the Cuban people,” she told reporters. The new tariff policy comes as Cuba struggles with increasingly severe blackouts. Sheinbaum said the tariffs could “directly affect hospitals, food supplies and other basic services for the Cuban people”.
Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, said on X that Trump sought to “suffocate” the island’s economy, revealing the “fascist, criminal, and genocidal nature of a clique that has hijacked the interests of the American people”. The situation has become more precarious since the US captured Nicolás Maduro, a key ally of Havana, from Venezuela in January. Trump later wrote on Truth Social: “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!”
An estimate reported by the Financial Times on Thursday suggested Cuba only has enough oil to last 15 to 20 days at current demand levels, and could soon face sharp rationing. US officials have briefed that gunboats could be deployed off Cuba, and efforts are under way to find Cuban ministers prepared to collaborate with the US. Mike Hammer, the US chargé d’affaires in Havana, said: “The Cubans have complained for years about a ‘blockade’, but now there is going to be a real blockade.”
In Havana, 12-hour daily blackouts have become commonplace. Many families are struggling to cook food, resorting to charcoal. Jorge Piñon, an expert on Cuba’s energy at the University of Texas, said: “If we do not see any crude oil or fuel deliveries within the next six to eight weeks, then the government will have a major crisis on their hands.”
