The U.S. says it is “taking steps to impose visa restrictions” on other Cuban officials.
July 11, 2025 — teleSUR
The U.S. State Department on Friday sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel , along with Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera and Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas , according to a statement released by the agency.
Sanctions were also issued against their immediate family members, who will not be allowed to travel to the United States.
Similarly, the US indicates that it is ” taking steps to impose visa restrictions ” on other Cuban judicial and prison officials.
The U.S. government also announced the update of its list of Restricted Properties in Cuba and the Prohibited Accommodations in Cuba list , which includes 11 more properties linked to the Cuban government, including the new “Torre K” hotel. With this, the U.S. seeks to ” prevent U.S. funds from reaching the island .”
According to the State Department, the sanctions against senior Cuban officials were issued for allegedly being involved in ” serious human rights violations ,” which is part of a smear campaign by the U.S. against the island’s government .
The U.S. also stated that it “took steps to implement President Trump’s enhanced policy toward Cuba , outlined in Presidential Memorandum on National Security-5, dated June 30, 2025.”
Upon hearing the news, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla rejected “ immigration sanctions against revolutionary leaders” and denounced the U.S. as capable of “maintaining a prolonged and ruthless economic war against Cuba.”
The U.S. tightens the blockade against Cuba under Donald Trump’s administration.
The measure taken this Friday against senior Cuban officials follows the Trump administration’s announcement in early July, which approved a new presidential memorandum prohibiting U.S. citizens from traveling to Cuba as tourists .
The Memorandum also mandates periodic audits and requires travelers to record all Cuba-related transactions for at least five years, and tightens restrictions on remittances to the island , which had already fallen by 43.4% in 2024.
It also establishes more severe sanctions against Cuban entities , especially those linked to military institutions and the intelligence and security sectors of the Cuban State.
These measures are part of the so-called “maximum pressure” policy by the U.S. government, which it has maintained against Cuba since 2019, when President Donald Trump, in his first term, issued 243 new unilateral coercive measures , with the purpose of suffocating the economy and stimulating a supposed transitional government in Cuba.
Cuban authorities have spoken out against the measures imposed by the U.S., which reinforce the economic, commercial, and financial blockade that the country has maintained against Cuba for more than 60 years.
