The United States has imposed a fresh round of sanctions against Cuba, targeting the military-run conglomerate GAESA and its executives, as part of an ongoing pressure campaign against the island nation.

The sanctions also hit Moa Nickel SA, a joint venture between Canada's Sherritt International and Cuba's state nickel company. Sherritt announced it would suspend direct participation in Cuban joint ventures following the sanctions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the sanctions "demonstrate that the Trump Administration will not stand by while Cuba's communist regime threatens our national security in our hemisphere." He demanded political and economic reforms from Havana.

The sanctions came hours after UN experts condemned Washington's effective fuel blockade of Cuba as "energy starvation," calling it incompatible with international human rights norms. They reported that fuel shortages are preventing access to hospitals and schools, with a backlog of over 96,000 surgeries in Cuba's health system.

Cuba's government denounced the measures as "unilateral coercive measures" and "collective punishment." The Trump administration has escalated pressure following the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, cutting off Venezuelan oil deliveries and threatening sanctions on any country supplying fuel to Cuba.

Source: www.aljazeera.com