Cuba Slams New U.S. Sanctions as Illegal and Abusive

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has condemned the latest wave of U.S. sanctions against Cuba as "illegal and abusive."

President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting officials in Cuba's energy, defense, financial, and security sectors, as well as those accused of human rights abuses.

The move comes as protesters marched outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana on International Workers Day, denouncing an oil blockade that has caused widespread blackouts and fuel shortages.

Trump, speaking in Florida, said the U.S. would be "taking over" the island "almost immediately," referencing a potential show of force by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

Rodriguez said the sanctions violate the United Nations Charter and impose "collective punishment against the Cuban people."

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also criticized the measures, calling the U.S. blockade "intimidating and arrogant."

The economic embargo, first imposed in 1960, has tightened despite earlier signs of negotiation between the two nations.