Emergency declared in response to Trump’s threat to countries that sell oil to Cuba

Cuba has declared an “international emergency” in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on countries that send oil to the island.

“The people of Cuba, with the solidarity of the international community, conclude that the situation with respect to the government of the United States constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat, which comes totally or substantially from the anti-Cuban, neo-fascist right wing of the United States,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez wrote on social media.

He added that this danger threatens “the national security and foreign policy of all countries, international peace and security, and the survival of humanity in the face of the nuclear threat and climate change.”

Therefore, the minister indicated in his post that Havana decided to declare “an international emergency with respect to this threat.”

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order that went into effect at midnight, allowing him to impose tariffs on imports of products from countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba.

The president argued that the island “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. security and foreign policy.

Later, Trump assured that he did not intend to “drown” the Caribbean nation. “No, it’s not my intention, but it seems that it’s something that simply won’t be able to survive. I believe that Cuba will not be able to survive,” he said when asked by the press on the subject, without mentioning the well-documented effects of the blockade the White House imposed more than six decades ago.

From Havana, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said: “This new measure shows the fascist, criminal, and genocidal nature of a clique that has hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal purposes.”

Díaz-Canel said the U.S. move was intended to “suffocate” the Cuban economy during a severe economic crisis characterized by power blackouts and fuel shortages, following the downfall of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the state oil company Pemex had cut off oil shipments to Cuba temporarily, but she would look for ways to avoid a humanitarian crisis following Trump’s announcement.

Along with Russia, Mexico became a major fuel supplier to the island after U.S. sanctions on Venezuela halted crude oil shipments there.

With Venezuelan, Russian, and Mexican supplies severely restricted, Cuba faces a critical 15-20 day fuel supply, threatening to paralyze power, agriculture, and services.  The island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since the 1990s, with gasoline shortages and long-term, daily power outages.