Trump warns of imposing tariffs on nations that export oil to Cuba

US President Donald Trump has warned that nations exporting oil to Cuba could face tariffs, as Washington intensifies its pressure on the Caribbean country.

The proposed new levy was outlined in an executive order, although no details were given regarding specific tariff rates or which countries might be targeted.

Trump has repeatedly threatened action against Cuba and its communist leadership.

On Tuesday, Trump said that Cuba would “fall very quickly,” as its longtime ally Venezuela is no longer sending the country oil or money, following the US military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro on January 3.

Previously, the South American nation was believed to be sending Cuba approximately 35,000 barrels of oil per day.

In an executive order on Thursday, Trump stated, “The policies, practices, and actions of the Cuban government constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat.”

He also accused Havana of harboring “dangerous enemies of the United States.” The tariffs could target countries “that directly or indirectly sell or provide oil to Cuba.”

Trump had previously ordered Cuba to “make a deal before it’s too late,” although he did not specify the terms of the deal or the consequences for the island nation.

At the time, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that Washington had no moral right to impose any deal on his country.

The Trump administration’s tactic of seizing sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers has already begun to exacerbate fuel and electricity shortages in Cuba.

The country is experiencing rolling blackouts, and Cubans are struggling without a reliable power supply.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez recently stated that the Caribbean island nation has “every right to import fuel” from any willing exporter “without interference or subjection to unilateral coercive measures by the United States.”