Cuba in Darkness [AFP=Yonhap News]

The U.S. Treasury Department has intensified pressure on Cuba by imposing sanctions on its intelligence agencies and key ministers. Meanwhile, Mexico and Uruguay are continuing their humanitarian aid by sending supplies to Cuba.

According to AFP, AP, and Cuban state-run Cubadebate on the 18th (local time), the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in a statement that it has sanctioned nine Cuban individuals, including the Cuban National Intelligence Directorate (DI), and the ministers of Communications, Energy, and Justice. These individuals are top-ranking leaders of the Communist Party and heads of the government and military.

As a result, the U.S. assets of the sanctioned Cuban intelligence agency and nine high-ranking officials have been frozen, making them impossible to withdraw or transfer. Furthermore, all transactions with the United States and U.S. companies are completely prohibited, and they have been effectively excluded from the international financial system using the U.S. dollar.

U.S. President Donald Trump [UPI=Yonhap News]

This move by the U.S. is interpreted as an effort to concentrate militarily on the Middle Eastern front with Iran while simultaneously employing economic and political pressure against Cuba to induce "regime change."

Indeed, following President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order on the 1st that essentially sanctions foreign financial institutions and companies trading with key Cuban state-owned enterprises like GAESA, the Treasury Department is now focusing on economic blockade by freezing the assets of Cuban intelligence agencies and high-ranking officials.

In addition, it is anticipated that indictments will proceed against Raul Castro, the former president and the ultimate power behind the Cuban regime, on the 20th. Raul Castro, who led the Cuban Revolution alongside his brother Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, is considered the de facto leader sustaining Cuba today.

This series of aggressive actions from Washington is analyzed as an attempt to completely sever Cuba's economic lifeline to foreign countries, thereby paralyzing the Cuban regime.

Raul Castro, the power behind Cuba [Reuters=Yonhap News]

As the U.S. escalates its pressure on Cuba, aid is also continuing to reach the nation, which is suffering from power shortages.

Mexican and Uruguayan aid ships that departed from the Mexican state of Veracruz arrived at Havana Port in Cuba on this day, carrying approximately 1,700 tons of relief supplies, including essential food items such as milk powder, rice, beans, and milk, as well as personal hygiene products for the Cuban people.

The donation ceremony held at Havana Port on this day was attended by high-ranking Cuban officials including Cuban Vice Prime Minister Oscar Pérez Olivares Fraga and Minister of the Food Industry Alberto López, as well as the Mexican Ambassador to Cuba and the Uruguayan Ambassador to Cuba.

In his congratulatory speech, Cuban Minister of the Food Industry López stated, "This aid arrives at a time when economic difficulties have been exacerbated by the U.S. government's intensified blockade against Cuba," and expressed "deep gratitude to President Claudia Sheinbaum and the government of Mexico, as well as the solidarity movements of Uruguay for sending relief supplies."

The ongoing flow of humanitarian aid to Cuba is due to the intensifying pressure from the U.S. government and the exacerbation of Cuba's energy crisis, compounded by internal issues such as the aging of its power infrastructure.

Mexican aid ship arriving at Havana Port on the 18th [EPA=Yonhap News]

Cuba has been suffering from severe power shortages and economic isolation since early this year when the supply of Venezuelan oil, a key energy source, was cut off following the U.S. pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Furthermore, in late January, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Cuban oil suppliers, exacerbating the situation.

In addition, the power shortages in Cuba are intensifying due to frequent breakdowns of power plants caused by "full operation." The Cuban Electric Utility (UNE) announced today that due to a surge in electricity demand, the power supply capacity is significantly insufficient, resulting in a projected power deficit of 2,080 megawatts (MW), equivalent to 65% of the total required electricity.