Trump Signs EO 14380: First Naval Blockade of Cuba Since Missile Crisis

President Trump signed Executive Order 14380 on January 29, 2026, declaring a national emergency and authorizing tariffs on any country that directly or indirectly supplies oil to Cuba. The order effectively established the first US naval blockade of Cuba since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, with US forces intercepting oil tankers—including vessels from Mexico's Pemex. UN experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the order in February 2026, calling it a violation of Cuba's rights that would exacerbate the humanitarian situation on the island. By February, acute fuel shortages had halted garbage collection in Havana. Cuba's President Díaz-Canel entered diplomatic talks with US representatives by mid-March 2026. In late March, Russia attempted to send oil tankers to Cuba, but OFAC announced Russian-origin oil to Cuba would also be blocked. The escalation represented the most acute US-Cuba confrontation since the Cold War.