Cuba oil tensions rise as Trump threatens tariffs on foreign suppliers

US President Donald Trump is threatening new tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, escalating pressure on the Caribbean nation and its communist leadership.

The warning was outlined in a new executive order, though the White House did not specify what tariff rates could apply or which countries might be targeted.

The order states that countries “that directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba” could face economic penalties.

On Tuesday, he suggested the government in Havana was nearing collapse, saying Cuba “will be falling pretty soon,” following a major shift in its relationship with Venezuela.

The president’s comments came after Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces on January 3  cutting off a key source of oil and financial support for Cuba.

Venezuela had previously been supplying an estimated 35,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba.

In Thursday’s order, Trump said “the policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat” and accused Havana of hosting “dangerous adversaries of the United States.”

Trump has also warned Cuba to “make a deal, before it is too late,” though he has not outlined specific demands or consequences.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has responded by saying Washington has no moral authority to impose terms on his country.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez pushed back, stating that Cuba has “the absolute right to import fuel” from any willing supplier “without interference or subordination to the unilateral coercive measures of the United States.”