Cuba sanctions expansion targets nine entities, two officials

The United States has announced a new round of sanctions targeting nine Cuban entities and two individuals under Executive Order 14404, focusing on the energy sector, sanctions evasion by GAESA, and the overseas medical mission program. The designated energy actors include CEINPET, ENERSA, and EINARBO, with CEINPET described as the research arm of CUPET, while ENERSA and EINARBO import gas and lubricants. The penalties also target GAESA-linked operations such as the Port of Mariel transfer to Coral Marítima S.A. and include Guernsey-based CEIBA Investments Limited and its Panamanian subsidiary, along with ORBIT S.A., a remittance processor allegedly controlled by the military conglomerate. The medical missions system is targeted as well, described by Washington as forced labor and a major source of foreign currency for the Cuban regime. U.S. officials emphasize GAESA’s use of corporate restructuring and intermediaries to evade sanctions, and note the mid-June port transfer as another bid to circumvent restrictions, with three general licenses accompanying the penalties. The actions are part of a broader effort to restrict Cuba’s access to foreign currency and to disrupt the regime’s two main economic pillars: energy and overseas medical services.