US Imposes Mass Sanctions on Cuba's Ministry of Construction, State Enterprises, and Pro-Government Groups

The U.S. Donald Trump administration imposed a massive package of sanctions on 20 entities and individuals, including nine Cuban government agencies and state-owned enterprises, as well as three leaders of pro-government organizations, on August 20 (local time).

The U.S. Department of State announced the measures in a press release that day, explaining that the action is intended to "strengthen comprehensive efforts to eradicate the malignant activities of the Cuban regime in Cuba and our Western Hemisphere."

The sanctioned entities include five government agencies, such as Cuba's Ministry of Construction, and four state-owned enterprises, including nickel and cobalt mining and processing companies.

In addition, three individuals were added to the sanctions list, including Fernando Gonzalez Yort, president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), which the Trump administration designated for sanctions last June.

The State Department views that ICAP, established in 1960, has engaged in exchanges with organizations in various countries to rally international support for the Cuban government, and that while masquerading as a non-governmental organization, it has acted as a front for the Cuban regime and sponsored a vast subversion network in the United States.

The State Department explained that ICAP President Yort is "a member of the 'Cuban Five,' a group of Cuban intelligence operatives arrested in 1998," and added that "Yort was detained in the United States before being released and repatriated to Cuba in 2014."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, "The Trump administration will not stand by as hostile foreign powers use lies, espionage techniques, and other illicit means to mislead and subvert Americans, exploiting our freedoms as part of the regime's raison d'être to export Marxism, racial hatred, and communist violence around the world."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.