Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Sunday blasted the U.S. for imposing a "new act of imperial arrogance contrary to international law" after President Donald Trump signed a memorandum imposing a hard-line U.S. policy toward the country, reversing measures put in place by former President Joe Biden.
"After six decades of an economic blockade imposed by a foreign country, which has been reinforced time and again with the sole and declared purpose of provoking social unrest, Cuba today faces a new act of imperial arrogance contrary to international law," Díaz-Canel said during the annual summit of the anti-U.S. BRICS coalition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"We come to this Summit with the news that a new package of coercive measures, entirely aimed at the economic suffocation of the country, has been added to the historic blockade by means of a Presidential Memorandum," he continued. "The document revives the old imperial claim that it is up to them to determine who and how our nation's destiny should be led. And all in the name of supposed democracy."
In a memo last week, Trump said the reviews should focus on Cuba's treatment of dissidents, its policies directed at dissidents, and restricting financial transactions that "disproportionately benefit the Cuban government, military, intelligence, or security agencies at the expense of the Cuban people."
In one potential significant change, the order said the U.S. should look for ways to shut down all tourism to the island and to restrict educational tours to groups that are organized and run only by American citizens.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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