He asserted that these actions by the Trump administration “have a human face; the economic war being waged threatens the lives of Cubans.” Photo: EFE.
The official highlighted the restrictions and coercive persecution imposed on fuel tankers.
September 26, 2026 — teleSUR
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced the intensification of the energy blockade and US sanctions against the island , which harm the well-being of the people.
Before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the official stressed that the restrictions and coercive persecution imposed on fuel tankers amount , under the principles of International Law, to a de facto naval blockade, which they consider a hostile action comparable to an act of war.
He asserted that these actions by the Donald Trump Administration “have a human face; the economic war being waged threatens the lives of Cubans.”
The Cuban foreign minister also denounced the withholding of cargo ships and essential resources , which exacerbates the needs of the island’s inhabitants.
While the Washington press corps continues to give Trump administration officials a free ride on Cuba, some members of Congress have been less accommodating.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) excoriated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week over Cuba policy, accusing him of creating fuel, food and power shortages on the island.
“What are you doing Mr. Secretary?” Waters grilled Bessent during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. “You cut off all the oil to Cuba. You’re starving the families. You’re starving the children. They don’t have electricity. They can’t get food in.”
Since May, Bessent’s Treasury Department has been the agency responsible for imposing sanctions targeting Cuba’s state oil and gas company, fuel distributors and entities involved in supplying equipment to the island’s energy sector.
Waters urged Bessent to change course.
“Let the oil flow. Let them have electricity,” she said. “You could be kinder. You don’t have to be cruel.”
Waters is part of a growing number of congressional Democrats that are proactively challenging the Trump administration on its Cuba policy.
Some of them—unlike Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent and Trump himself—have gone to Cuba to see the impact of U.S. policy firsthand.
In July, Reps. Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) and Delia Ramírez (D-IL) traveled to Havana, where they visited the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital to hear directly from doctors about shortages of medicines, equipment and other supplies.
“We don’t have the resources to perform major surgeries,” Dr. Calixto Hernández told the delegation.
He said the hospital had performed 2,300 surgeries in the first four months of this year—900 fewer than during the same period the year before.
“Does this make any sense?” Leger Fernández asked. “A blockade that prevents basic materials for health?”
Leger Fernández pointed to the doubling of Cuba’s infant mortality rate. “I can’t imagine any American citizen wants to say, ‘I want babies to die,’” she said.
“We have to end this war on the Cuban people,” said Ramírez. “It’s not just immoral. It’s evil.”
This week, the United Nations General Assembly will begin its annual session. Leaders from around the world will convene. And one of the many crises they face is Cuba. President Trump is floating the idea of “taking” the nation. Cuba’s deputy foreign minister joins Antonia Hylton to discuss the nationwide blackout and the upcoming UNGA talks.
MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.
Havana, September 19 (Prensa Latina) Twenty-one years ago, Cuba established the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics, an initiative of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro that continues to save lives in numerous corners of the world today.
Following the severe damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the Caribbean island offered medical aid to the United States, but the government rejected it despite the difficult situation experienced by its population.
A few days later, on September 19, 2005, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution created this brigade, unsung heroes who fought pandemics and natural disasters around the world, from poor to developed countries, bringing life, solidarity and hope.
Although its official founding date was 21 years ago, the Caribbean nation had already deployed its healthcare professionals to several countries. For example, in 1960, when an earthquake devastated Chile, 25 doctors arrived in that country.
Between 1960 and 2005, 30 medical brigades emerged to collaborate in 19 countries, facing hurricanes, earthquakes, epidemics and even the wrath of volcanoes, according to data offered at last year’s commemoration.
Since then, Cuban collaborators have worked in the thick snow of the Himalayas, under the intense sun of the Middle East, in Africa, in America, from the Rio Grande to Patagonia, in the Caribbean and in Europe.
More recently, they have helped control the Ebola epidemic on the African continent and tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in 42 nations.
Despite this noble work, Cuban medical missions suffer the siege of the United States government, which tries to discredit their work and pressures third countries to do without this aid, which is vital for many people, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has repeatedly warned that this cruel pressure and blackmail from the Oval Office is intended to undermine the humanitarian and solidarity program created by the Caribbean nation and Fidel Castro, and to continue cutting off sources of income to the national economy.
The contingent is named after Henry Reeve (1850-1876), an American who joined the Caribbean island’s independence struggles against Spanish colonialism in the second half of the 19th century.
For months, the Trump administration has ramped up economic pressure and military threats against Cuba. While President Donald Trump has threatened a U.S. takeover, Cuban officials say they’re still willing to talk.
Amna Nawaz sat down with Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, on Wednesday’s PBS News Hour. In this extended interview, they discussed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s influence on U.S. policy, the steps Cuba is taking to open up its economy, what Cubans think about their government, the release of political prisoners and where Cuba sees its allies.
Buenos Aires (Prensa Latina) With the executive orders issued by Donald Trump on January 29 and May 1, new sanctions were imposed on socialist Cuba. This intensified the illegal blockade formally implemented in February 1962, but which began in practice earlier and continues to this day.
September 15, 2026
By Sergio Ortiz*
Contributor to Prensa Latina
Both during his first stay in the White House, from 2017 to 2021, and in his second term, the magnate adopted measures that qualify as genocide and is taking them to a new level. He and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, have even hinted that they are not ruling out military action against the homeland of José Martí and Fidel Castro.
The Secretary of War, formerly known as the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, visited the US military base at Guantanamo Bay – an area usurped from Cuba through the Platt Amendment in 1902 – and urged the troops to be alert and comply with all of Trump’s orders (hopefully this madness will not happen, but in that case those soldiers will be among the first and numerous US casualties).
Speaking of Cuban defense, on September 11, Defense Day of the week, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the Alamar Este area and reaffirmed that “the first priority continues to be defense.”
In other words, the island is on high alert, ready to fulfill its commitment to give everything, even life itself, in defense of its sovereignty and the achievements of the Revolution.
Even more so after all the patriotic and socialist activities held last August to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s birth. There were events, colloquiums, conferences, and seminars organized by the Communist Party and Cuban organizations, with numerous international guests and organizations.
The damage caused by the blockade continues to escalate. The report presented by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, which will be presented at the UN General Assembly next October, details this in meticulous detail.
The direct economic damage, between March 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, amounted to $8.083 billion. Added to the figures for previous years, this totals $178.7 billion at current prices.
Without the damage caused by the blockade, the Cuban economy could have grown 10.8 percent this year and consequently improved the living standards, health, education, infrastructure and other aspects of the population.
In contrast, with this almost total nine-month oil shortage, during which only one Russian tanker entered the country, Cubans suffer daily power outages of 20 hours or more, with the resulting hardships in homes and hospitals where there are 100,000 patients, including 12,000 children who cannot be operated on due to these emergencies.
Numerous containers of medicine and supplies already paid for by Havana cannot reach port, be unloaded, or be distributed because shipping companies are under intense pressure from the Trump administration. As a result of these inhumane measures, infant mortality in the country has been rising: it increased by 148 percent from 2018 to 2025, from four per thousand live births to 9.9.
These power outages lead to a shortage of drinking water. This is because the water supply sources operate using electric motors that stop during the blackouts.
As the Cuban Foreign Minister rightly says, these aren’t just numbers; they are lives being lost in a country that was once, and still is, a model for its healthcare system focused on the well-being of Cubans—from pregnancies to infants and the elderly, encompassing all ages.
IT WILL BE VICTORY 34
Since the 1992 UN General Assembly, the Cuban Foreign Ministry has been presenting its motion for the United States to lift the embargo. This motion has garnered overwhelming support from a majority of nations; only the US, Zionist Israel, and a handful of subservient governments like that of Javier Milei vote against Havana.
Everything indicates that it will be the 34th Cuban victory since 1992. The movement of peoples in solidarity with Cuba is the decisive factor in these elections in New York.
Rodríguez Parrilla explained that Trump, by keeping the island on the list of “State sponsors of terrorism”, caused 34 international banking entities to suspend or refuse to carry out operations with Cuba between March 2025 and February 2026.
In July 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) fined Delaware-based global logistics company Key Holding, LLC, $608,825 for alleged violations of the sanctions regime against Cuba. OFAC also fined Connecticut-based global logistics company Interactive Brokers, LLC (IB) $11,832,136 for the same reasons.
Because it primarily affects the island, but also international trade, this influences the majority of the 193 countries in the UN to vote against the blockade. This has significant political value but lacks concrete action, since General Assembly resolutions do not have executive power, which rests with the Security Council, whose five members have veto power. And Washington is one of them.
This demands a profound change in international politics and organization, which must be the result of the struggle for a new world order and a more just world, which is possible, as Fidel called for.
The sanctions continued against the Banco Exterior de Cuba, the Comandante René Ramos Latour Services company; Cexni, an importer and exporter for the nickel and cobalt industry; Abapet, an importer of energy supplies; and Comercial Cupet.
The situation in Cuba remains dire. The world must do more for this dignified country. In a note, Atilio Borón wrote on September 9: “We need more governments that have the audacity to disobey the orders of the empire, not only for Cuba, but also for their own self-interest; let’s hope such governments emerge.”
The program will include a performance by Mariachi Premier de América, a Mexican group that will accompany the finalists in their performances, adding authenticity and vibrancy to the show. Photo: ACN.
The “Serenade to Mexico” contest has become established as a space for reaffirming the historical ties between Cuba and Mexico, thanks to the sponsorship of the Embassy of Mexico in Cuba, Amexcid, the Center for Mexican Studies of the UNAM in Cuba, the Benito Juárez House, the Ministry of Culture and the Cuban Institute of Music.
September 15, 2026 — teleSUR
Music will once again be the cultural bridge between Cuba and Mexico with the celebration this Tuesday in Havana of the final gala of the “Serenata a México” contest , a closing event that will coincide with the commemoration of the 216th anniversary of the Grito de Dolores , an emblematic date of Mexican independence.
Admission to the Karl Marx Theatre will be free for the public , who will be able to enjoy the performances of the eight finalists selected from more than 80 contestants from across the Caribbean island.
Prior to the performances, a Civic-Cultural Ceremony of the Grito de Dolores will take place , which according to the Mexican ambassador to Cuba, Miguel Díaz , will have a special character on this occasion.
The program will include the participation of Mariachi Premier de América , a Mexican group that will accompany the finalists in their performances, adding authenticity and color to the show.
The “Serenade to Mexico” contest has become established as a space for reaffirming the historical ties between Cuba and Mexico , thanks to the sponsorship of the Embassy of Mexico in Cuba , Amexcid , the Center for Mexican Studies of the UNAM in Cuba , the Benito Juárez House , the Ministry of Culture and the Cuban Institute of Music .
The casting jury was made up of renowned musicians such as Beatriz Márquez, Raquel Hernández, Sergio Farías, Mirtha Sansó and Eraclides Azahares , who evaluated the performances of the finalists.
The main prize, which will be awarded on September 15 , consists of a trip to Mexico to perform artistic presentations and cultural tours of emblematic sites such as the Palace of Fine Arts , Xochimilco and Tenampa .
In addition, the winner will receive a Tree of Life as a gift , a symbol of Mexican cultural heritage that will accompany their artistic experience.
Paris, September 12 (Prensa Latina) Strong rejection of the reinforced US blockade against Cuba and its marked extraterritorial character prevailed today in a debate about that Caribbean nation, within the framework of the Fête de l’Humanité.
The president of Cuba Cooperation France, Manuel Pascual, referred to the hardships caused by the blockade and how it even prevents the sending of solidarity aid to the island as the United States tightens the noose even further.
Pascual denounced that the United States did everything possible to increase the policy of suffocating Cuba, including the suspension of direct visas for Europeans traveling to the island.
Furthermore, he outlined the difficulties arising from the strengthening of the American economic embargo in sending the solidarity aid collected in Europe.
For her part, Marydé Fernández López, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (CCPCC), gave a brief account of the development and intensification of the economic blockade, which has existed for more than six decades.
The official in charge of relations with the Union of Young Communists and other mass organizations pointed out that since 1960, efforts had been underway to apply all possible measures of strangulation against the Caribbean nation, the party official recalled.
He also noted that Trump imposed executive orders on January 29 and May 1, which imposed an energy embargo and a ban on trade with Cuba.
Similarly, the US government declared Cuba an alleged extraordinary and unusual threat to that nation and, on that basis, imposed dozens of unilateral coercive measures directed against all spheres of life in the Caribbean country, he noted.
Fernández López pointed out that two days ago, the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, acknowledged that he imposed the strongest measures in history against the Caribbean nation.
For her part, Katia Aruca Chaple, an official in the International Relations Department of the CCPCC, denounced that the blockade violates international law, the right of Cubans to self-determination, and is a violation of Cuba’s sovereignty and the rights of the peoples of the world.
It is important to denounce the effects of the blockade in every forum where we talk about Cuba and to show European institutions that they have the right to denounce it, he noted.
“It’s about seeing the extraterritorial impact of the coercive measures applied by Washington on normal relations between peoples and states,” he said.
At a maternity hospital in Cuba, anesthesiologist Dr. Yudmila Rodríguez Verdecia describes what happens when electricity fails during an operation.
“The surgery cannot be stopped. We have had to keep operating under the glow of cell phone flashlights,” she says in Cuba’s latest annual report to the United Nations.
The Cuban government calculates that U.S. economic warfare caused $8.083 billion in damage between March 2025 and February 2026, bringing its estimate of the cumulative cost of U.S. policy since Cuba’s 1959 revolution to $178.7 billion.
Watch Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla explain the damages HERE.
In addition to the six-decade-old embargo, the report points to a web of financial restrictions, the State Sponsors of Terrorism designation, the 1996 Helms-Burton Act and a de facto oil blockade that restrict access to essential goods and services.
Licet Rodríguez Alonso, who accompanies her son Diego between Villa Clara and Havana for cancer care, says fuel shortages from the U.S. oil blockade make her worry if his treatment can continue.
“Diego is in radiation [therapy], but there’s no fuel,” she says. “How will those machines run?”
Other medical supplies are already in Cuba but cannot reliably reach patients. According to the report, more than 30,000 children have been unable to receive vaccinations on schedule because fuel shortages have disrupted refrigerated transport, leaving medications stuck in warehouses.
The lack of fuel also affects food production. During the growing season ending in early 2026, irrigation operated for an average of just two hours a day rather than the 16 hours needed, the report says.
Meanwhile, UN agencies cited in the report describe disrupted shipments of more than 2,900 metric tons of food aid and $630,000 worth of medical supplies.
Shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd (Germany) and CMA CGM (France) stopped accepting new shipments to Cuba following Trump’s May 1 executive order threatening “secondary sanctions” on foreign companies doing business with blacklisted Cuban entities.
The report also identifies obstacles to buying and maintaining medical equipment. It says that due to payment restrictions and sanctions threats, the price of Japanese-made Olympus endoscopy equipment costs ten times more in Cuba than in other Latin American countries.
Baxter Healthcare (U.S.) and Vitalmex Interamericana (Mexico) cited the blockade in refusing to continue doing business with Cuba, while U.S.-made cardiac pumps remain “out of reach” to children with severe heart conditions.
The report describes a shortage of working Braille machines for blind students. Meanwhile, deaf students are unable to access cochlear implants because of broken components or missing batteries.
Havana, September 7 (Prensa Latina) The director of the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital, Araiz Consuegra, assured that the staff of the Havana institution will not cease their work despite the damage caused by the United States blockade against Cuba.
By Wilfredo Camero Hernández
Cuba Newsroom
In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina, Consuegra listed the damage caused by the coercive measures imposed by Washington on Havana, especially those related to the lack of electricity due to the repeated failures of the National Electric System (SEN).
The collapse of the SEN means suspending operations that are currently underway, he stated.
He added that a child arriving in imminent danger to life is taken to the operating room, where the anesthesia machines and equipment are working, “however, we cannot use the air conditioning in the intensive care unit and that is an epidemiological risk, but we cannot let the patient die.”
Regarding this serious problem, he noted that currently, thanks to the 24 solar panels and Power Bank donated in July by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Open Arms, “the impacts have been reduced by a small percentage.”
Emergency interventions are not suspended, but we have had to interrupt or not perform procedures related to brain tumors because they take 18 to 20 hours in a room, he stressed.
Consuegra explained that the impact of restrictive U.S. policies also affects the availability of medications and supplies, resulting in a surgical waiting list of over 900 patients. The issue of anesthetics is crucial; both induction agents and pure anesthetics are necessary for surgeries, she noted.
He pointed out that today they do not have most of the first-line antibiotics, especially those used in surgical treatment protocols, and that affects the evolution of patients.
The acquisition of raw materials by the country’s pharmaceutical industry has been affected as one of the main consequences of the extraterritorial impact of Washington’s blockade of the nation.
He also detailed that medications such as Omeprazole and Ranitidine, used in patients in the gastro ward and in the Intensive Care Unit, are the most scarce; however, no deaths due to lack of care have been reported to date.
Consuegra exemplified that the support of NGOs and social projects in the process of finding solutions to the current shortcomings in the institution has been of vital importance.
Through the Hatuey US solidarity project, access to procedures for children receiving oncohematological treatments has been guaranteed, as well as the acquisition of necessary supplies by medical personnel.
The sociocultural project Cabildo Quisicuaba, for its part, has facilitated the distribution of food products such as powdered milk and clothing for the operating rooms and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“We had a little patient in Neonatology, a newborn girl, who needed a specific type of milk called Enfamil, so Quisicuaba found it for us and donated it,” the director recalled.
The hospital was recently visited by the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, with whom the progress of digitization and telemedicine as organizational tools in the decision-making process in crisis situations was evaluated.
Advances in these areas have made communications more viable and humane, based on the discussion of cases with other provinces of the country, in compliance with the missions of this institution.
Consuegra described teamwork as one of the main strengths of the group he leads.
“Although fuel shortages persist, we always try to find alternatives, even with an electric motorcycle,” he explained.
“We have workers here with electric motorcycles who help when it comes to finding a specialist or transporting blood,” he reaffirmed.
On numerous occasions, the highest leadership of the Cuban state and government has called for strengthening innovation and seeking solutions with the limited resources available.
Doing more with less is a premise for all the staff of this institution who work to bring smiles back to Cuban children, who are the main victims of the American aggression against the country.
