Cuba's Energy Crisis Worsens from U.S. Oil Blockade

Havana, Cuba — Cuba is facing an escalating energy crisis as a U.S. blockade on oil imports has severely disrupted the island's fuel supplies, pushing its health care system and economy to the breaking point and raising fears of a broader humanitarian emergency.

The crisis intensified last month when President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba, following the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the subsequent halt of Venezuelan oil shipments. Cuba, which produces only about 40 percent of its own fuel needs, has long depended on imports from allies like Venezuela, Mexico and Russia. Those sources have now dried up, with Mexico suspending deliveries under the threat of U.S. penalties and U.S. military forces intercepting vessels in the Caribbean. Shipping data indicates Cuban tankers have barely left port for months, and recent attempts to secure fuel, such as a tanker traveling to Curaçao, have failed, leaving the vessel empty.

Cuban Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda described the situation as an "energy siege" with direct implications for public safety. In an interview, he noted that persistent...