US Sanctions Cuba's State Oil Firm CUPET, Killing Largest US Fuel Shipment to Cuba Since 1960

The State Department designated Cuba's state-owned oil and gas company Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET) under Executive Order 14404 on June 12, 2026, blocking its US-linked assets. The move came days after Florida-based Vanguard Energy announced plans to ship 250,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel to Cuba — the largest US fuel shipment to the island since the 1960 embargo began — for distribution to the private sector, embassies, and humanitarian and religious organizations via storage tanks leased from a CUPET-linked entity. With CUPET blacklisted and no OFAC license granted, Vanguard Energy president Matthew Klann said 'operational constraints beyond Vanguard's control' forced the company to suspend the shipment, extending Cuba's fuel drought that began in December 2025.