Cuba's Private Sector Endures 'Year of Resistance' Under Trump's Tightened Oil Blockade
Donald Trump's tightened oil blockade has hit Cuba's young private sector hard since early 2025. Restaurants, taxi operators and micro-manufacturers say fuel rationing is squeezing margins to breaking point.
Al Jazeera reports the number of authorised private businesses in Cuba has fallen by 18 percent over the past 12 months, with the sharpest drops in Havana and Santiago. Fuel shortages have forced more than half of restaurants to cut their opening hours.
With Venezuelan oil supply curtailed, the Cuban government has leaned more heavily on shipments from China and Russia. Officials say a stronger dollar has pushed import costs up by roughly 30 percent.
The US Treasury is preparing to widen sanctions against shippers carrying fuel to the island. Investors expect a fresh uptick in insurance premiums for American-coast carriers operating across the Caribbean.
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