President Donald Trump on Thursday announced plans to impose additional tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, declaring the situation a national security emergency for the United States.
In an executive order, Trump said the “policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
The order authorizes retaliatory tariffs on goods imported into the United States from any country that “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba.”
While the executive order does not specify the tariff rates, it outlines a process under which the secretaries of Commerce, State, Treasury and Homeland Security, along with the U.S. trade representative, will assess whether additional tariffs should be imposed. Final decisions on the scope and level of the tariffs would rest with the president.
Trump’s order accuses the Cuban government of taking “extraordinary actions” that threaten U.S. interests, citing what it described as Cuba’s alliances with Russia, China, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The move marks a further escalation of U.S. economic pressure on Havana and could have broader implications for countries that maintain energy ties with the island nation.
