May 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. government on Thursday issued new sanctions aimed at depriving the Cuban government and military of "access to illicit assets."
The U.S. Department of State sanctioned Moa Nickel SA (MNSA), Grupo de Administracion Emresarial S.A. (GAESA) and GAESA's senior executive officer Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera for bringing Cuba "to ruin and actioned off the island as a platform for foreign intelligence, military and terror operations," it said in a press release.
President Donald Trump in his first term reversed President Barack Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba, tightening travel restrictions as he said he said he was "canceling the last administration's completely one-sided deal with Cuba."
In January, after deposing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Trump declared a national emergency over Cuba to create a mechanism to impose tariffs on countries that provide the nation with oil because it constitutes "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security.
"These sanctions are part of the Trump administration's comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuba's communist regime and hold accountable the regime and those who provide it material or financial support," Rubio said in the release.
