Tensions between the United States and Cuba have sharply intensified after Washington imposed new sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and several key government entities, prompting an angry response from Havana.

Diaz-Canel on Thursday accused the United States of deliberately tightening what Cuba describes as a long standing economic blockade and pushing bilateral relations toward a more confrontational phase, News.az reports, citing Xinhua.

The latest dispute erupted after the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Diaz-Canel, several Cuban officials and five entities, including Cuba's Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, to its Specially Designated Nationals sanctions list.

The move came amid remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that Washington could shift greater attention to Cuba once the conflict involving Iran subsides, fueling speculation about a tougher US approach toward the communist island.

In a strongly worded message on social media, Diaz-Canel said the new measures were designed to strengthen economic pressure on Cuba and deepen the atmosphere of confrontation between the two countries.

"The measures are aimed at reinforcing the blockade and the scenario of conflict between Cuba and the United States," the Cuban leader said.

Diaz-Canel argued that the latest restrictions are intended to damage the Cuban people and vowed that the country would continue resisting what he described as an "imperial offensive."

The sanctions mark another escalation in the decades long dispute between Washington and Havana, which has been characterized by economic restrictions, political disagreements and periodic diplomatic crises.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also condemned the US decision, calling it evidence of what he described as a continued interventionist policy toward the Caribbean nation.

According to Rodriguez, the sanctions attempt to portray Cuba as a threat to US national security despite the vast economic and military disparity between the two countries.

The latest developments have reignited debate over the future of US Cuba relations, particularly as Trump signals a potentially tougher foreign policy stance if geopolitical tensions elsewhere begin to ease.

Analysts say the sanctions could further strain already fragile relations and complicate any prospects for renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Havana.

The confrontation comes as Cuba continues to face severe economic challenges, including shortages of food, fuel and medicine, while the government struggles to revive growth amid ongoing international sanctions and domestic pressures.

With both sides exchanging increasingly sharp rhetoric, observers warn that relations between the longtime adversaries may be entering a new period of heightened tension.

News.Az 

By Faig Mahmudov