Cuba’s government has accused Donald Trump of imposing “collective punishment” after Washington unveiled sweeping new sanctions aimed at major pillars of the island’s economy.

In an executive order issued Friday, the US president said he would sanction people operating in broad sections of Cuba’s economy, including energy, defence and mining. The move signals a wider effort to tighten pressure on Havana after Trump earlier this year ousted Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, according to the news signal. Cuban officials cast the decision as an attack that reaches far beyond state elites and into the daily life of the country.

“Collective punishment” has become Havana’s core charge as it argues the new US measures will hit the wider population, not just the government.

The political response came fast and in full public view. An enormous 1 May procession outside the American embassy in Havana pledged to “defend the homeland,” turning a labor rally into a blunt display of nationalist resistance. The location mattered. So did the message. Cuba’s leadership appeared eager to show that external pressure would meet a visible domestic answer in the streets.

Key Facts

  • Cuba says the new US sanctions amount to “collective punishment.”
  • The measures target people operating in broad parts of the Cuban economy.
  • Sectors named in reports include energy, defence and mining.
  • A large 1 May procession gathered outside the US embassy in Havana.

The latest clash deepens a long-running battle over whether sanctions can force political change or simply harden existing positions. Supporters of tougher measures often argue economic isolation can weaken governments they oppose. Critics counter that broad restrictions squeeze workers, consumers and essential services first. In Cuba’s case, the breadth of the sectors named in the order suggests the pressure campaign could ripple across strategic industries with consequences that stretch well beyond official circles.

What happens next will matter on both sides of the Florida Straits. Washington appears set on escalating leverage against Havana, while Cuban authorities will likely use the sanctions to rally support and frame the US as the source of worsening hardship. The central question now is whether this pressure changes the island’s political trajectory or simply deepens a cycle of confrontation that leaves ordinary Cubans carrying the heaviest burden.