Cuba decries intensified U.S. oil blockade as mass media campaign rallies support

More than 50 media outlets from over a dozen countries joined the "Cadenazo por Cuba" broadcast to spotlight the island’s resistance to a renewed U.S. energy blockade. The coordinated transmission highlighted Cuba’s demand for international solidarity amid a deepening fuel crisis.

President Miguel Diaz‑Canel condemned new U.S. sanctions that added the state oil firm CUPET to the Office of Foreign Assets Control blacklist, calling the measures an attempt to "asphyxiate" the Cuban people. The sanctions have been linked to rising infant mortality, reduced cancer‑survival rates for children and a broader humanitarian toll, as noted by the UN human‑rights office. Only a single Russian tanker has delivered crude oil in recent months, while a proposed fuel shipment from Vanguard Energy was blocked after U.S. officials denied a license and local authorities revoked the company’s business tax permit.

The campaign and diplomatic protest underscore Cuba’s push for global opposition to what it describes as a politically motivated blockade that threatens daily life and the nation’s energy security.