✓ verbatim from the press ? no verbatim passage
The United States included Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife and three Castro family members on the Treasury Department's sanctions list on Thursday (4), intensifying economic pressure on Havana. According to the official OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) document, also designated were Lis Cuesta Peraza (Díaz-Canel's wife), Alejandro Castro Espín (Raúl Castro's son), Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis (Raúl Castro's grandson) and Manuel Anido Cuesta (the president's stepson, resident in Madrid). ?
Press quotes (1)
"ANIDO CUESTA, Manuel, Madrid, Spain; DOB 03 Nov 1994; POB Holguin, Cuba; nationality Cuba; Gender Male (individual) [CUBA-EO14404] (Linked To: CUESTA PERAZA, Lis). CASTRO CALIS, Raul Alejandro, Havana, Cuba; DOB 16 May 1995; nationality Cuba; Gender Male (individual) [CUBA-EO14404] (Linked To: CASTRO ESPIN, Alejandro). CASTRO ESPIN, Alejandro (a.k.a. "El Tuerto"), Cuba; DOB 1965; nationality Cuba; Gender Male (individual) [CUBA-EO14404]. CUESTA PERAZA, Lis, Cuba; DOB 28 Mar 1971; POB Holguin, Cuba; nationality Cuba; Gender Female (individual) [CUBA-EO14404] (Linked To: DIAZ-CANEL BERMUDEZ, Miguel). DIAZ-CANEL BERMUDEZ, Miguel, Cuba; DOB 20 Apr 1960; POB Santa Clara, Cuba; nationality Cuba; Gender Male (individual) [CUBA-EO14404]."
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 14404, signed by Trump on May 1, which expanded the scope of measures against people and entities considered threats to US national security. The Treasury also included five entities on the list, including Cuba's Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. ✓
Press quotes (1)
"A determinação implica o bloqueio de qualquer propriedade ou interesse sob jurisdição dos EUA. Também proíbe cidadãos, empresas e bancos norte-americanos de realizar transações com eles. A base desta decisão está na Ordem Executiva 14404, assinada por Donald Trump em 1º de maio."
The measure comes amid growing US pressure on the Gaesa conglomerate (Business Administration Group), controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces. According to Columbia University research, the conglomerate dominates the country's most strategic economic sectors through its affiliates: it controls a large share of tourism via Gaviota, retail and wholesale trade through CIMEX and TRD Caribe, and the financial system via RAFIN S.A. and Banco Financiero Internacional. ?
Press quotes (1)
"The GAESA conglomerate dominates the country's most strategic and profitable economic sectors. Through its affiliate Gaviota (Grupo de Turismo Gaviota S.A.), it controls a large share of tourism; through affiliates CIMEX and TRD Caribe, retail and wholesale trade, respectively; and through RAFIN S.A. and the Banco Financiero Internacional (BFI), the Cuban financial system. It also manages remittance businesses, logistics, and storage—including the Port of Mariel."
The Cuban government officially responded to the sanctions in a June 2 statement, classifying Washington's escalation of aggressions as "the most intense, disproportionate and dangerous in recent history" of bilateral relations. It was Havana's first official response after Washington placed Gaesa at the center of its attacks. ✓
Press quotes (1)
"Trata-se da primeira resposta oficial de Havana após Washington colocar o Grupo de Administração Empresarial (GAE, conhecido na ilha como Gaesa) no centro de seus ataques. [...] O governo cubano classifica a escalada de agressões de Washington como "a mais intensa, desproporcional e perigosa da história recente" das relações bilaterais."
Díaz-Canel had already been sanctioned previously in July 2025
Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.
Covered by only some sources (2)
Trump said Cuba is a 'failed nation' and that the US wants it to be 'well administered'
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What will be the specific economic impact of sanctions on Gaesa operations?
Why it's still unknown: No source detailed how sanctions will concretely affect the conglomerate's operations or revenues
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How are the Washington-Havana negotiations mentioned by the press progressing?
Why it's still unknown: Multiple sources mention discrete negotiations, but none detail current status or terms being discussed