Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has condemned the new wave of US sanctions against the country, calling them "illegal and abusive."
An executive order, signed on Friday by US President Donald Trump, affects officials in the energy, defense, finance or security sectors of Cuba's economy, as well as those he alleges have committed "human rights abuses" or corruption.
Trump continues to tighten US foreign policy toward Cuba and has hinted that he wants to change its communist leadership.
Trump said the US would "take over" the Caribbean island, which is located 145km from Florida, "almost immediately".
"On the way back from Iran, we'll have one of our big aircraft carriers - probably the USS Abraham Lincoln - the biggest in the world, come in, stop about 90 meters out to sea, and they'll say, 'Thank you very much. We surrender.'"
Writing in X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the "unilateral austerity measures" violated the United Nations Charter, adding that they aimed to impose "collective punishment against the Cuban people."
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Trump's latest moves to put pressure on the country's economy come despite confirmation by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in March that Cuba was negotiating with the US on relations between the two countries.
"The blockade and its reinforcement cause so much harm due to the intimidating and arrogant behavior of the greatest military power in the world," Díaz-Canel wrote in X after announcing the new measures.
A US oil embargo on Cuba has led to fuel shortages and widespread power outages, affecting hospital wards, public transport and education. Only one Russian oil tanker has arrived in the country since the embargo was imposed.
