For over 65 years, the United States has maintained an economic embargo against Cuba, making it the longest embargo in modern history. As of January, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order stated that he would impose tariffs on any country that tried to sell oil to Cuba, resulting in nationwide blackouts and fuel shortages that plunged 10 million Cubans into darkness. 

FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Cuba is in a severe humanitarian crisis, and its government says it has officially run out of oil. Cuba can also no longer rely on regional allies such as Venezuela because of the Trump administration’s control of Venezuelan oil.    
• The U.S. oil blockade has resulted in unpredictable blackouts, with some lasting 24 hours, shutting down water, food storage, hospitals, and communications for 10 million Cubans.
• The U.S. has utilized tightened economic sanctions and a new tariff system to cut off Cuba from international oil markets by imposing tariffs on any country that imports oil to Cuba.  
• Cuba’s extreme dependence on oil, which powers 83% of Cuba’s electricity, has resulted in Cubans sleeping on rooftops to escape the heat and using wood or charcoal for cooking fires. 
• With Trump hinting at a military intervention and the UN condemning the blockade as a violation of international law, Cuba’s situation is set to escalate further.  

What is going on in Cuba right now?

Nearly every aspect of Cuban society is in crisis amid a de facto U.S. oil blockade. 

According to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba needs at least eight tanker deliveries per month to run the country because the island relies on imported oil to generate electricity and run public transport. However, no oil has been imported into the island since January 9, which has severely impacted the power sector. This has caused nationwide blackouts lasting over 24 consecutive hours and forced airlines to curtail flights.

Until earlier this year, Cuba had been relying on its primary regional ally, Venezuela, for oil shipments, which were believed to have supplied around 35,000 barrels of oil a day — about half of Cuba’s needs. Its supply was cut off after the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and the Venezuelan oil industry in early January, as President Trump declared that no Venezuelan oil would go to Cuba. 

Cuba no longer has a foreign oil supply to rely on. On May 13, the country officially announced that it had run out of oil.  

What is the oil blockade?

Economic intervention is one method that the U.S. has been using to increase pressure on the communist government in Havana, Cuba. Tightened U.S. sanctions have prevented Cuba from engaging in oil imports and international trade markets. These sanctions have also restricted shipping, insurance, and financial transactions associated with energy supplies. 

On January 29, 2026, the White House established a new tariff system that allowed the U.S. to impose additional tariffs on imports from any country that provides oil to Cuba, directly or indirectly. 

Why is the U.S. blockading Cuba’s oil?

Trump signed an executive order declaring a nationwide emergency, accusing the Cuban government of “extraordinary actions that harm and threaten the United States.” The order accused the Cuban government of persecuting political opponents, suppressing free speech and press, as well as committing other human rights violations. 

The order also asserted that Cuba’s government aligned itself with and supported “numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States,” such as Russia, China, and Iran. 

The order imposed new tariffs on countries that directly or indirectly supply oil to Cuba, triggering a blockade of Cuba and prompting Mexico to suspend shipments. 

The order said, “The United States will act to protect the foreign policy, national security, and national interest of the United States, including by holding the Cuban regime accountable for its malign actions and relationships while also remaining committed to supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society.”  

How has the oil blockade impacted Cuba?

Oil products account for a major 83.3% of Cuba’s electricity generation, demonstrating the country’s reliance on oil. As a result of the U.S. oil blockade, 10 million Cubans have been thrown into an ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

The consequences of U.S. sanctions and oil blockade are beyond living in darkness. Electricity-dependent water systems have shut down, food storage and refrigeration are no longer available, hospitals have to rely on strained back-up generators, and communications networks have collapsed alongside the grid. The energy crisis has also led to rising inflation, including surging food prices and a rapidly devaluing Cuban peso. 

Blackouts were already common in Cuba, but the latest fuel shortages have caused them to be more widespread and disastrous. The blackouts have also left some Cubans to resort to sleeping on rooftops to escape the heat. 

Without reliable gas or electricity, many Cubans have begun gathering wood and charcoal to start cooking fires outside. 

A country needs fuel for its electrical grid, transportation, industrial production, production of food, services, health, and education. 

The energy minister of Cuba stated that even solar power was not a reliable alternative source of energy because the grid is too weak to handle the electric current supplied by solar panel parks. 

Residents in numerous neighborhoods in Cuba have been seen banging pots and pans and setting fire to trash cans as a way to protest against these blackouts. 

What’s going to happen next in Cuba? 

United Nations (UN) human rights experts condemned the U.S.’s effective fuel blockade on Cuba, calling it a “serious violation of international law” and “an extreme form of unilateral economic coercion.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has also called the series of U.S. actions an “international crime.” The Trump administration has demanded that Cuba release its political prisoners and move toward economic and political liberalization in return for the lifting of sanctions. 

After capturing Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro and killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a military strike, Trump has hinted at U.S. military intervention in Cuba. Recently, Trump has stated that he would turn his attention towards Cuba next once the ongoing conflict with Iran is settled. 

“I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba. Whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it … [Cuba] is a very weakened nation right now,” said Trump.