• Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.
• Mexico has temporarily suspended oil shipments to Cuba, citing a sovereign decision.
• The order aims to pressure Cuba amid claims of being a national security threat to the U.S.
• The move follows increased tensions after the U.S. military operation against Venezuela's Maduro.
• Cuba relies heavily on oil imports from Mexico and Venezuela, facing a deepening energy crisis.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order threatening to impose tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, escalating the pressure on the island nation. The order details that any country providing oil to Cuba poses an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security, aligning with Cuba's support for several adversarial nations and groups, including Russia and Iran, according to BBC and Al Jazeera.

This week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico had temporarily halted oil shipments to Cuba, describing the choice as a “sovereign decision” rather than an action taken under U.S. pressure. Previously, Mexico supplied a significant portion of Cuba's oil, and Sheinbaum’s statements come amid increasing U.S. efforts to isolate the Cuban government, reports India Times and CBS News.

Cuba's energy crisis has been exacerbated by strict economic sanctions and the recent U.S. military operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, cutting off a key source of oil for Cuba. Trump's administration has claimed that the Cuban government is “ready to fall,” a sentiment echoed by his social media posts declaring "no more oil or money going to Cuba," according to BBC, India Times, and Al Jazeera.

As Cuba struggles with regular fuel shortages and a faltering economy, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel has called for a relationship based on international law rather than “hostility” and “economic coercion.” He has stated that any U.S. deal attempts will be met with firm resistance by the Cuban government, emphasizing the negative impacts of sanctions, especially in the wake of diminishing oil imports, according to CBS News and Al Jazeera.