Cuban Foreign Minister denounces new U.S. measures against Cuban entities and ICAP Directors and Officials

The U.S. Secretary of State continues to punish Cuban companies with the deliberate purpose of harming the country's economy and preventing the Cuban government from guaranteeing basic services to the population, which is already in a critical situation due to the blockade. This was denounced Thursday by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on his social media account, referring to the measures the U.S. administration maintains against the island.
In his message, the Foreign Minister pointed out that, in particular, the transportation of containers with food, medicine, and medical devices, mostly acquired by Cuban private micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), is being obstructed.
Rodríguez Parrilla added that, in its failed obsession against Cuba, the United States government is now incorporating directors and officials of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), an institution that for more than six decades has promoted friendship, international solidarity, justice and peace, the complete opposite of what the Secretary of State has always promoted in his corrupt policy.
The Cuban Foreign Minister also addressed the impact of the U.S. energy blockade against Cuba. "The U.S. energy blockade against Cuba has a real and serious impact on the Cuban population," he stated.
Rodríguez Parrilla asserted that this policy "is part of the collective punishment that the U.S. government is applying against the Cuban people" and added that "it not only limits the performance of the Cuban economy, but also hinders the work of international agencies and organizations, demonstrating its extraterritorial nature."
This denunciation comes after the U.S. government announced new sanctions against Cuba on Thursday, adding nine state entities and three individuals linked to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) to its list of Specially Designated Nationals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in a press release that the measures target ICAP for allegedly sponsoring “a broad subversive network in the United States aimed at identifying, recruiting, and radicalizing subversive elements."
Among those sanctioned are three ICAP executives: its president, Fernando González Llort; first vice president, Noemí Rabaza Fernández; and director for North America, Leima Martínez Freire. The nine sanctioned entities include Cuba's Ministry of Construction, as well as companies in the mining, metallurgical, and foreign trade sectors.
These measures are in addition to the oil embargo imposed by Washington and other sanctions issued under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump on May 1st, 2016.