Cuba Calls Tightened US Energy Curbs an 'Act of War' at UN Gathering

Cuba's foreign minister has accused the United States of intensifying economic pressure on the island through restrictions on energy and fuel supplies, describing the measures as an act of war under international law.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said the defining feature of current US-Cuba relations was a severe tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, including what he characterised as a total energy blockade and a cutoff of fuel supplies amounting to a naval blockade.

Rodríguez said Havana was working to roll out new economic measures, adapting its model to shifts in the international economic order while trying to cushion the effects of the heightened restrictions, particularly since January.

He acknowledged that some diplomatic contacts had taken place, mainly with the State Department, but said public statements from US officials had been contradictory — respectful in tone at times, yet aggressive and often rooted in stereotypes or falsehoods.

At the centre of his criticism were two recent US executive orders that he said rest on the claim that Cuba poses an unusual and extraordinary threat to American national security and foreign policy. Rodríguez rejected that premise outright, saying Cuba is neither a threat nor an enemy to the United States, its citizens or its companies, and that no one could seriously argue a small island could threaten a military, nuclear, technological and economic power of that scale.

He further alleged that Washington's current Cuba policy is designed to inflict human harm, cause suffering, destabilise the country and stifle its economy. In response, he said, Havana has adopted programmes and measures aimed at protecting the population from humanitarian harm.

On energy, Rodríguez said Cuba had achieved a significant shift in its energy mix over the past year, with more than half of electricity generated during daylight hours now coming from photovoltaic sources.

Despite the tensions, he said US authorities in New York had been courteous and had adhered strictly to the agreement governing relations between the host state and the UN Secretariat, adding that he was grateful for the facilitation of his presence and activities during the gathering.