US President Trump considers imposing tariffs on oil imports to Cuba

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing new tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba. The order, dated Thursday, describes the Cuban government as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security.

The executive order states that the regime aligns itself with and provides support for numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States. As a result, an additional ad valorem duty may be imposed on imports of goods from foreign countries that directly or indirectly sell or provide oil to Cuba.

This move comes in response to US forces’ abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife earlier this month. The US has since taken control of Venezuela’s oil sector, and Trump has promised to stop oil shipments previously sent to Cuba.

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel has responded to Trump’s threats, stating that Washington lacks moral authority to force any sort of “deal” on Cuba. Diaz-Canel emphasized the importance of relations between the US and Cuba being based on international law rather than hostility, threats, and economic coercion.

The executive order also coincides with US pressure on Mexico to distance itself from Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that her government had temporarily stopped oil shipments to Cuba, describing it as a “sovereign decision” not made under pressure from Washington. The majority of Cuba’s oil supplies come from Mexico and Venezuela, although Russia and Algeria also provide some imports.

The details of the executive order are as follows:

Source: Al Jazeera