WASHINGTON: The US administration says Cuba’s ties with Russia and China are among the reasons for implementing measures against oil suppl...
WASHINGTON: The US administration says Cuba’s ties with Russia and China are among the reasons for implementing measures against oil supplies to the island by third countries, an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump and released on Thursday states.
Under the order, the United States formally declares a national emergency over what it describes as a threat posed by Cuba. Under US law, this declaration allows the president to impose tariffs on goods from countries that supply oil to Cuba. The formal declaration of a national emergency is a standard procedure in the United States. During his second term in office, Trump has used this mechanism at least ten times to implement various economic measures, including tariffs. Dozens of such emergency declarations are currently in effect in the US and are regularly renewed.
The order states that one of the reasons for potentially imposing the tariffs is the Cuban government’s alleged actions that "harm and threaten the United States." According to the White House, Havana aligns itself with "malign actors adverse to the United States," including Russia, China, and Iran. "For example, Cuba blatantly hosts dangerous adversaries of the United States, inviting them to base sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities in Cuba that directly threaten the national security of the United States," the document reads.
According to the order, "Cuba hosts Russia’s largest overseas signals intelligence facility, which tries to steal sensitive national security information of the United States." The document does not specify which facility it is referring to. Russia’s signals intelligence center in Lourdes, near Havana, was closed in 2002. The order also states that "Cuba continues to build deep intelligence and defense cooperation with the PRC."
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