According to the Cuban newspaper Granma, on August 25th, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parryhia responded harshly to the United States' decision to extend its embargo against Cuba.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in its social media post claimed that this description is “Sixty years of genocide policy aimed at our people.”
U.S. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order No. 2026-21 on August 20, extending the authority of the Trade Act Against Cuba to Cuba until September 14, 2027.
The Enemy Trading Act is a U.S. law that originated during World War I. Its main purpose was to maintain national security by restricting trade with “enemy nations” during wartime. Over time, this law evolved into a tool for long-term economic sanctions.
This measure was announced in the Federal Register on August 24th, with the official reason being that it aligns with the United States’ “national interests”.
Rodriguez-Parrilla wrote on his X account: "Extending the so-called 'Trade With Enemy Act' until September 2027 is not a minor administrative procedure, but rather confirms Washington's goal of stifling the entire country." The foreign minister also linked this extension to the Trump administration's foreign policy towards Cuba: "This extension comes at a time when the United States has been most brutal in its attacks against Cuba in recent years."
It is reported that delaying authorization has become an annual routine procedure in the United States, and has been carried out by every U.S. President. The last delay was signed into law by Trump himself in August 2025, and prior to that, Joe Biden also took the same approach in September 2024.
It is understood that this was not the first time Rodrigo Pires used the term ‘genocide’ to refer to Washington’s sanctions in 2026. In July, the foreign minister described these actions as a clear manifestation of American ‘crime and genocide intentions’.
Rodrigués Párliliá said finally, “Gua Ba is not a threat, it's a blockade.”
