Trump threatens tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would impose tariffs on all goods from countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island gripped by a worsening energy crisis.

The order would mainly put pressure on Mexicoa government that has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba and has consistently expressed solidarity with the U.S. adversary, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum sought to build a strong relationship with Mr. Trump.

This week has been marked by speculation that Mexico will cut its oil deliveries to Cuba under growing pressure from Mr. Trump to distance itself from the Cuban government.

In its deepening energy and economic crisis — fueled in part by tough U.S. economic sanctions — Cuba relies heavily on foreign aid and oil shipments from allies like Mexico, Russia and Venezuela. before an American military operation ousts former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Since the operation in Venezuela, Mr. Trump said that no more Venezuelan oil will go to Cuba and that the Cuban government is “ready to fall.”

On January 11, Mr. Trump wrote on social media that “there will be no more oil or money for Cuba – zero.”

At the time, a U.S. official told CBS News that the United States was not seeking to cause the collapse of the Cuban government, but rather to negotiate with Havana to move away from its authoritarian communist system.

In its latest report, Mexico’s national oil company Pemex said it shipped nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba between January and September 30, 2025. That month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Mexico City. Jorge Piñon, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who tracks shipments using satellite technology, later said that figure had fallen to around 7,000 barrels.

Sheinbaum has been incredibly vague about his country’s position and this week gave circuitous and ambiguous responses to requests for information about the shipments, and dodged questions from reporters during his morning press briefings.

On Tuesday, Sheinbaum said Pemex had at least temporarily suspended some oil shipments to Cuba, but struck an ambiguous tone, saying the pause was part of general fluctuations in oil supplies and that it was a “sovereign decision” that was not made under pressure from the United States. Sheinbaum said Mexico would continue to show solidarity with Havana, but did not specify what type of support Mexico would offer.

On Wednesday, the Latin American leader said she never said Mexico had completely “suspended” shipments and that “humanitarian aid” to Cuba would continue, and that decisions about shipments to Cuba were determined by Pemex contracts.

“So the contract determines when shipments are sent and when they are not,” Sheinbaum said.

The lack of clarity from the leader underscored the extreme pressure Mexico and other Latin American countries are under, as Mr. Trump has done. become more confrontational following the Venezuelan operation.

It remains unclear what Mr. Trump’s Thursday order will mean for Cuba, which has been gripped by a years-long crisis and a U.S. embargo. Concern was already brewing on the Caribbean island as many drivers lined up this week for gasoline, many unsure of what would come next.