Iran Strongly Condemns US Economic Pressures on Cuba

“Undoubtedly, economic sanctions against Cuba are a clear breach of the fundamental principles and rules of the United Nations Charter and international law,” Baqaei said in a statement on Monday.

These sanctions violate the right of nations to self-determination, the principle of respect for the national sovereignty of countries, and the prohibition of intervention in the internal affairs of states, he added.

“The United States must be held accountable for its continued and systematic violation of these principles and rules, as well as for the widespread violation of the human rights of the Cuban people, which amounts to a crime against humanity,” the spokesman stated.

The remarks came as US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on nations supplying oil to the Caribbean island, and Washington anticipates an economic crisis could topple the Cuban government.

Rolling blackouts and enforced fuel rationing have severely disrupted key services, including hospitals. In Havana, residents are turning to homemade charcoal stoves, electric motorcycles, and, where affordable, solar panels to cope with power outages of up to 12 hours a day and a deepening fuel shortage, local media say.

The fuel crisis in Cuba deepened after the US kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January, cutting off Caracas’s oil exports, a key supply to the import-dependent island. Mexico has also suspended crude shipments to Cuba.

The US has maintained a trade embargo against Cuba since 1960.

Baqaei noted that the US has imposed an economic blockade on Cuba for more than 64 years, which has led to broad humanitarian and material consequences for the country in blatant violation of the fundamental human rights of its people.