US is seeking to choke Cuban economy, Cuban FM denounces

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 5 (ACN) Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla highlighted today the US government's efforts to choke the Cuban economy.

In a message on X, Cuban diplomat referred to the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act against Cuba, which grants the US president the power to restrict trade with "hostile" countries and the possibility of applying economic sanctions in times of war or any other period of national emergency.

Rodriguez Parrilla specified that the aforementioned law, passed in 1917 during World War I, was recently ratified by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.This decision, affirmed Cuban foreign minister, is a demonstration of the politician's aggressive intentions.

Under this statute, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations were adopted in 1963, following President John F. Kennedy's declaration of the blockade against Cuba in 1962, also based on the Trading with the Enemy Act.

Successive US presidents have extended the use of this legal instrument, despite the fact that Washington has never declared a national emergency regarding Cuba, nor has there been a war.