A May executive order threatening penalties on banks, mining groups and other companies trading with Cuba prompted the last banks serving the island to cut ties, sharply restricting Cuba’s ability to pay for food and fuel.
That financial squeeze compounded a January fuel blockade under which Washington threatened tariffs on countries shipping oil to Cuba, helping sever supplies from Mexico, Russia and Venezuela.
The resulting shortages have left Cuban homes with only two to three hours of electricity a day, cooking gas largely unavailable and Havana’s buses no longer operating; gasoline that can be found costs about $22 a gallon.
The report says the measures fit a broader U.S. sanctions strategy aimed at forcing regime change, reversing Obama-era easing and tightening pressure after Cuba rebuilt trade links beyond the Soviet bloc.
Could severe banking restrictions and fuel blockades ultimately trigger a total societal collapse rather than the intended diplomatic outcomes?
How will Cuba's unprecedented energy starvation and collapsing healthcare system reshape the future of millions trapped in this crisis?
As international organizations scramble to send aid, how can essential medical supplies bypass tightening financial embargoes to reach desperate civilians?