Trump administration ramps up sanctions pressure on Cuba

The US has imposed sanctions on ⁠one person and additional sanctions ⁠on two entities related to ‌Cuba, according ​to a notice posted on the US Treasury Department's website on Thursday.

The State Department said the sanctions ​target Grupo ⁠de Administracion Empresarial SA (GAESA), a conglomerate involved in all sectors of Cuba's economy and controlled by ⁠its ‌military; Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, the executive president of GAESA; and ‌MNSA, Moa Nickel SA, a ⁠joint venture between Toronto-based Sherritt International Corp and Cuba's state-owned ‌nickel company.

US President Donald ‌Trump's administration has ramped up pressure ‌on Cuba this ‌year, halting shipments of oil from Venezuela, which was Havana's longtime top supplier, and threatening ⁠to ⁠intensify economic sanctions on the Communist-ruled island.

Sherritt said in a statement on its website on Thursday that it had suspended its direct participation in joint ​venture activities in Cuba, effective immediately.