US imposes sanctions on Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel as tensions mount in Caribbean

The US has imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and some affiliated people and entities, the US Treasury Department's website showed.

The sanctions on Thursday also targeted four other people and five entities, including the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba.

Among those targeted were the son and a grandson of former president Raul Castro, who no longer holds an official position but remains a key figure in decisions about the future of the island.

Diaz-Canel, 60, has served as president of the Caribbean country since taking over from Raul Castro, the brother of Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro, in 2018.

Thursday's action against Diaz-Canel is the latest by Washington to intensify pressure on the island's communist leaders.

The sanctions were announced as President Donald Trump told reporters that the US wanted Cuba "to be a nicely run country."

Last month, the US government imposed sanctions on 11 Cuban officials, including the country's communications minister, several military leaders and its main intelligence agency.

The US also charged Raul Castro with murder for his alleged involvement in a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles.

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Source: TRT