Cuba calls new U.S. measures 'ruthless economic aggression'

May 8 (UPI) -- Cuba vehemently opposed new measures adopted by the United States and accused the Trump administration of tightening "to extreme and unprecedented levels" the economic, financial and commercial embargo imposed on the island since 1962.

In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Treasury Department's decision to add Cuban entities Gaesa and MoaNickel S.A. to the Specially Designated Nationals List, a measure stemming from the executive order signed by Trump on May 1.

Havana said Thursday the sanctions expand the extraterritorial reach of the embargo by allowing possible penalties against foreign companies, banks and entities that maintain commercial or financial ties with Cuba.

According to the Cuban government, the restrictions worsen the island's economic crisis, which already has faced a U.S. oil blockade since January that halted fuel exports to the country with the exception of one Russian tanker that arrived.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects, in the strongest possible terms, the executive order issued by the White House," the statement said.

That order, which President Donald Trump signed May 1, expanded restrictions against companies linked to Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., or Gaesa, a conglomerate controlled by the Cuban armed forces with operations in strategic sectors that include tourism, ports, retail trade and financial services.

The Treasury Department justified the sanctions that became effective Thursday by saying that Gaesa and MoaNickel S.A. contribute to sustaining the Cuban government economically and operate in areas Washington considers strategic.

Cuba also accused Washington of attempting to isolate the island economically and pressuring other countries to sever commercial ties with Havana.

Canadian mining company Sherritt International, one of the main foreign investors in Cuba and a key partner in the island's nickel and cobalt production, announced this week the immediate suspension of its direct participation in joint operations in Cuban territory, and it repatriated its Canadian personnel.

The company said that although it was not formally designated under the new U.S. measures, the executive order signed by Trump "materially alters" its ability to operate normally. After the announcement, the company's shares fell as much as 30% on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The Cuban government contends the measures are intended to provoke an internal economic and social crisis and warned about the risk of a broader escalation in bilateral tensions.

"The highest U.S. authorities, particularly the secretary of state, are trying to impose on the international community, through blackmail and intimidation, compliance with and submission to the blockade," the statement added.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also reacted to the new sanctions, saying on social media that the island's population "already knows the cruelty behind the actions of the U.S. government."

Diaz-Canel said the measures "worsen the already difficult situation" facing Cuba, although he contended they also strengthen "the determination to defend the Homeland, the Revolution and Socialism."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said he has seen no positive ourcome from talks with Washington during an interview with the Spanish-language outlet ABC News published Thursday.

"I can tell you that I see no progress," the Cuban foreign minister told ABC News journalist Whit Johnson during the interview conducted in Havana. He added that the Cuban regime was "ready to talk about many bilateral issues," but that the island's political system and internal affairs "are not on the table."

Rodríguez Parrilla warned that military threats by Trump against the Cuban regime could lead to "unimaginable consequences," including "a humanitarian catastrophe, genocide, the loss of Cuban and young American lives" and "a bloodbath in Cuba."