Cuba and U.S. Sanctions Policy

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed Tuesday that state oil company Pemex has at least temporarily suspended crude shipments to Cuba, a key lifeline for the island’s energy‑starved economy, while insisting the move is a "sovereign" business decision and not a response to U.S. pressure. Her comments come as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to isolate Havana, declares that Cuba will receive no more Venezuelan oil after the U.S. raid that deposed Nicolás Maduro, and privately presses Mexico to distance itself from the Cuban government even though U.S. officials have not publicly demanded an embargo on Mexican shipments. Pemex reported sending nearly 20,000 barrels per day to Cuba through Sept. 30, 2025, a flow that outside tracking by University of Texas analyst Jorge Piñon says had already fallen to about 7,000 barrels per day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Mexico City. Sheinbaum, who has been promising but has yet to release detailed export data, framed the suspension much like last week’s transfer of dozens of cartel suspects to U.S. custody—as a Mexican decision taken "autonomously" while signaling continued political solidarity with Havana without specifying what form that support will now take. On the ground in Cuba, NPR notes that already‑common gasoline lines lengthened as drivers queued for hours and debated whether Mexico’s pause and U.S. pressure portend a deeper fuel crisis on the island.