Trump threatens tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, a move that puts pressure on Mexico

Jan 29, 2026 - 20:00
Trump threatens tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, a move that puts pressure on Mexico

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that puts pressure on Mexico.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that her government had at least temporarily stopped oil shipments to Cuba, but said it was a “sovereign decision” not made under pressure from the United States.

Trump has been squeezing Mexico to distance itself from the Cuban government and increasingly isolate the island, which is already under strict economic sanctions from the U.S.

Trump’s executive order also declared a national emergency over Cuba, saying the Cuban government represents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States’ national security and foreign policy.

Trump accuses the Cuban regime of aligning itself with countries including Russia, China and Iran, as well as with transnational terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

In the wake of the U.S. military operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has said the Cuban government is ready to fall.

The executive order is set to take effect after midnight Friday.