“Strangling” is the correct word. People are suffering in Cuba as the U.S. intercepts any oil shipments to the island, disrupting all aspects of daily life. Jack Nicas (Mexico City) and Christiaan Triebert (New York) report for The New York Times: “An analysis of ship movements shows that the Trump administration is isolating the island at one of its most vulnerable moments” and “The United Nations has criticized the U.S. policy as a violation of international law that has exacerbated the suffering of Cuba’s nearly 11 million residents.”
Cuba is confronting the United States’ first effective blockade since the Cuban Missile Crisis and running out of fuel fast, pushing the nation toward a humanitarian crisis and its government to the edge of collapse, according to a New York Times analysis of shipping data and satellite images.
Cuban tankers have hardly left the island’s shores for months. Oil-rich allies have halted shipments or declined to come to the rescue. The U.S. military has seized ships that have supported Cuba. And in recent days, vessels roaming the Caribbean Sea in search of fuel for Cuba have come up empty or been intercepted by the U.S. authorities.
Last week, a tanker linked to Cuba burned fuel for five days to get to the port in Curaçao but then left without cargo, according to ship-tracking data. Three days later, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a tanker full of Colombian fuel oil en route to Cuba that had gotten within 70 miles of the island, the data showed.
While President Trump has pledged to halt any oil headed to Cuba, the Trump administration has stopped short of calling its policy a blockade. [. . .]
The United Nations has criticized the U.S. policy as a violation of international law that has exacerbated the suffering of Cuba’s nearly 11 million residents. It also appears to have the island’s Communist government teetering on edge. [. . .]
To understand whether fuel was still flowing to the island, The Times conducted interviews and analyzed satellite images, port records and data broadcast from a series of ships connected to Cuba.
The analysis showed that oil-tanker traffic to and from the island has nearly stopped. Yet it also showed that several ships did appear to venture out in search of fuel. All were stymied by Mr. Trump’s policies.
The Ocean Mariner
On Jan. 29, Mr. Trump declared a national emergency, claiming that Cuba is a hotbed for spies and terrorists and threatening tariffs against any nation that provides petroleum products to the island. [. . .]
On Feb. 11, just 65 miles from Cuba, the Ocean Mariner abruptly made a U-turn, according to ship-tracking data. It appeared to have realized it was being pursued. [. . .]
For full article, see https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/world/americas/cuba-oil-blockade-trump.html
[Photo above by Yamil Lage/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. The oil tanker Ocean Mariner at the port of Havana last month. Cuba is facing the United States’ first effective blockade since the Cuban Missile Crisis.]