U.S. president plans to tighten the oil blockade.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he will focus on Cuba once the war with Iran is resolved.
“Cuba is a collapsing nation. We are going to carry out this initiative,” he said, referring to his intention to prevent the Cuban people from receiving oil on a regular basis.
“It is possible that we will make a stop in Cuba once we have concluded this,” Trump said, referring to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
His remarks came in response to questions from reporters about his recent decision to allow some oil tankers to reach Cuba.
Currently, this Caribbean nation requires about 60,000 barrels of crude per day to meet its energy needs. Since January, however, Cuba has been experiencing a severe energy crisis as a result of Trump’s oil blockade.
At the end of March, the Trump administration announced it would review each oil shipment “case by case” after allowing the Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin to deliver 100,000 tons of crude to Cuba.
In his attempts to justify his pressure on Cuba, Trump has made unsubstantiated claims, such as that Cubans have migrated to the U.S. because of “truly atrocious things” happening in their country. He has even said that Cuba “has been horribly governed by Castro.”
After the oil blockade began, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the administration of President Miguel Diaz-Canel is on the verge of collapse, suggesting that the United States would carry out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
