The United States announced on Tuesday that it is tightening its sanctions on Cuba, by imposing additional restrictions on certain financial transactions and travel of American citizens to the communist-ruled island.
Under the new sanctions announced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, indirect financial transactions with Cuban entities subject to sanctions were prohibited, particularly those linked to security agencies and the "Gaisa" group, the economic conglomerate affiliated with the Cuban army.
Also prohibited were the so-called "U-Turn" transactions, which allowed U.S. banks to process dollar payments related to Cuba, provided that the source and destination of the funds were outside the United States and did not involve U.S. citizens.
The new sanctions also eliminate the license that allowed U.S. banks to "open and maintain bank accounts in the name of a Cuban citizen working as an independent entrepreneur in the private sector"
Cuban private entrepreneurs were allowed access to the U.S. banking system during the tenure of former President Joe Biden.
Under these changes, cultural exchange trips, known as "people-to-people" programs, as well as conferences and business meetings, now require prior authorization.
Relations between Havana and Washington have been severely strained since Trump's return to power.
The Republican president asserts that Cuba, located 150 kilometers from the coast of Florida, represents an "exceptional threat" to the national security of the United States, and has repeatedly threatened to take control of it.
Washington, which openly desires to change the regime in Cuba, has been preventing oil imports since January to the island, which has a population of 9.4 million, causing a severe economic crisis.
