type: timeline_event
President Trump signed Executive Order 14380 declaring a national emergency with respect to Cuba and establishing a framework to impose tariffs on imports from any country that directly or indirectly supplies oil to the Cuban government. The order invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), asserting that Cuban government policies constitute an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy. Under the framework, the Secretary of Commerce will identify countries supplying oil to Cuba, the Secretary of State will recommend tariff levels in consultation with other agencies, and the president may then impose ad valorem duties on all imports from those countries—not solely energy-related products.
The order primarily targets Mexico, which became Cuba's primary oil supplier in 2025 following drops in Venezuelan exports, along with Russia and Algeria. While no tariffs have yet been imposed, the framework creates immediate uncertainty for companies operating across global supply chains. The approach represents a significant expansion of executive tariff authority at the intersection of sanctions and trade policy, using import duties as leverage to coerce third countries into joining the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned the order as a "brutal act of aggression" and accused the U.S. of "blackmail and coercion." The executive order mirrors a similar March 2025 order authorizing tariffs on countries importing Venezuelan oil, under which no tariffs have yet been imposed, establishing a pattern of using threatened economic coercion rather than traditional diplomatic channels.