Cuba calls U.S. "energy blockade" an act of war at U.N. General Assembly

Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Paria, Cuba's Minister for Foreign Affairs, told the United Nations General Assembly that what his government calls an intensified U.S. campaign against Cuba now includes an "energy blockade" and severe restrictions on trade and navigation. He said the measures, imposed "since January 2026," prevent countries from exporting fuel to Cuba and amount to an act of war.

"this aggression has strengthened and become more cruel and more dangerous with the imposition of an energy blockade that by resorting to intimidation and coercion prevents any country from exporting fuel to Cuba, an equivalent to a naval blockade, which is classified under international law as an act of war," Rodriguez Paria said. He added that more than "7,000 containers remain stranded in different ports," some loaded with food, medicines and medical devices, and that private Cuban companies had already paid for some shipments.

Rodriguez Paria framed the restrictions as part of a broader U.S. strategy of economic coercion that targets Cuba's access to financing, technology and markets and exerts pressure on foreign entrepreneurs and shipping operators. He urged member states to protect freedom of trade and navigation and warned that measures aimed at depriving people of essential goods risk producing a humanitarian crisis.