US signs new Executive Order authorising secondary sanctions & sanctions on Cuban regime officials

5 May 2026

President Trump has signed a new Executive Order authorising sanctions on those responsible for repression in Cuba and for threats to US national security and foreign policy – OFAC notice; White House fact sheet. The EO builds on the national emergency declared under EO 14380 of January 2026 and is issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The EO says Cuba presents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security through Cuba's alignment with US adversaries, including hosting foreign intelligence facilities targeting the US, close ties with Iran, and providing safe haven for Hezbollah & ongoing political repression and migration pressures,

The EO establishes a framework for future designations on persons determined to have:

• Operated in key sectors of the Cuban economy (including energy, defence, financial services, and security).

• Acted for or on behalf of the Government of Cuba.

• Provided material support to the Cuban government.

• Been responsible for serious human rights abuses or corruption in Cuba.

• Been an adult family member of a designated person.

The EO also suspends US entry for designated persons and authorises secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions with designated persons, a tool not previously used in the Cuba sanctions framework governed by the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (31 CFR part 515). See our US-Cuba page for details.

Designations will be made subsequently by the Secretary of State or Secretary of the Treasury.