The United States on Tuesday issued a series of sanctions related to Cuba, amid recent rhetoric from US President Donald Trump suggesting a possible takeover of the communist island.
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The sanctions target one individual - related to the extended Castro family - and five entities, which were sanctioned for allegedly generating revenue for the Cuban government.
In statement, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said, "Today, I am designating five Cuban entities generating revenue for the Cuban regime, including three associated with the previously designated Grupo de Administración Empresarial SA (GAESA), and one member of the extended Castro family."
According to the State Department, the sanctioned individual is Annalie Lilliam Rueda Cardero, 41. She is the wife of Alejandro Castro Espin, a former head of the Cuban intelligence services and the son of the country's former President, Raul Castro.
The sanctioned entities include three linked to the previously designated Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA): Almacenes Universales SA (AUSA), Rafin SA (Rafin) and Banco Financeiro Internacional SA (BFI). The remaining two entities are Geominera SA and Empresa Siderurgica Jose Marti.
The United States maintains a comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba. In February 1962, then-US President John F Kennedy proclaimed an embargo on trade between Washington and Havana, in response to certain actions taken by the Cuban Government.
