Cuba Runs Dry as US Blockade Triggers Total Fuel Collapse
Cuba has exhausted every barrel of diesel and fuel oil in its reserves, BBC Business reported Thursday, citing a candid admission from the country’s energy minister on state media.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said Cuba’s power situation had reached a “critical” state. He confirmed zero diesel and zero fuel oil remained anywhere in the national system. Only domestically produced gas was still available, he noted, and that supply was limited.
Total Darkness Descends on Havana
Residents in parts of the Cuban capital are now enduring blackout windows stretching between 20 and 22 hours each day. Hospitals have been unable to maintain normal operations. Schools and government offices across the island have shut their doors. The tourism sector, a vital revenue source for the Cuban economy, has also suffered severe disruption.
De la O Levy described the national mood as “extremely tense.” Scattered protests against the prolonged power cuts broke out in Havana on Wednesday, according to Reuters, as public frustration with the crisis mounted visibly.
How Cuba Reached This Point
Cuba has long depended on Venezuela and Mexico to feed crude oil into its refinery network. Both suppliers began pulling back after US President Donald Trump threatened punitive tariffs on any nation continuing to ship fuel to the island. That threat proved effective. Tanker traffic slowed sharply, leaving Cuban storage facilities unable to replenish stockpiles.
Washington tightened the squeeze further in early May, imposing a fresh round of sanctions on senior Cuban officials. The Treasury accused those individuals of committing human rights abuses. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez rejected the measures as illegal and abusive.
A brief reprieve came in late March when a Russian oil tanker docked in Cuba, temporarily easing the worst shortages. That relief, however, was short-lived.
Aid Offer Remains on the Table
The United States has offered Cuba $100 million in humanitarian assistance, contingent on what Washington describes as meaningful reforms to the country’s political system. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Havana had turned down the offer. Cuban officials have disputed that characterisation.
The US State Department reiterated the proposal Wednesday, saying aid distribution would run through the Catholic Church and vetted humanitarian organisations. Washington placed the decision squarely on Havana, warning Cuban authorities they would be held accountable by their own citizens if assistance was blocked.
Cuba has not signalled any acceptance of the conditions attached.
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