Cuba Calls US Oil Blockade Collective Punishment at UN Assembly

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that the U.S. oil blockade against Cuba amounts to an "act of collective punishment" intended to trigger a humanitarian crisis. His remarks came hours after President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. and Cuba would likely reach an agreement and that military action would not be necessary.

What did Cuba's foreign minister say at the UN?

Addressing the 81st session of the UNGA in New York on Sept. 26, Rodríguez said Havana remains "prepared for dialogue with the government of the United States" to resolve "bilateral differences," but said any talks must proceed on "sovereign equality" and take place "without preconditions," according to Al Jazeera's report. He also warned that U.S. military action against Cuba "would cause huge destruction," adding, "Let's hope that this never happens."

What is the US oil blockade on Cuba?

Since earlier this year, Washington has layered an oil blockade on top of an economic embargo that has lasted more than 60 years, Al Jazeera reported. Cuban officials say the blockade has driven fuel shortages, nationwide blackouts, and shortfalls in food and other basic goods. The Trump administration has said it wants a change in Cuba's government; Trump called Cuba an "absolutely failed state" during his own UN address this week and said "freedom will be coming" to the island — remarks that prompted Cuba's delegation to walk out, per the report.

What did Trump say about a deal with Cuba?

"I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal," Trump told reporters Saturday, according to Al Jazeera. "I don't think we'll need the military. Cuba is failing very badly. We want to help Cuba."

How have other countries responded?

Brazil, Mexico and Pakistan have criticized the embargo and the new oil blockade and opposed unilateral U.S. economic restrictions on Cuba, Al Jazeera reported. The UN General Assembly has voted every year since 1992 to call for an end to the U.S. economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba, a pattern that predates the current oil-blockade dispute.

Cuba-US tensions by the numbers

• 60+ years: length of the overall U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, per Al Jazeera.
• 1992: year the UN General Assembly began its annual vote calling for the embargo's end.
• 81st: the UNGA session at which Rodríguez spoke on Sept. 26.
• 3: countries named in the report — Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan — that have criticized the current blockade.

What to watch next

• Whether U.S. officials act on prior statements about openness to talks tied to a change in Cuba's government.
• Whether the oil blockade eases or tightens amid ongoing blackouts and fuel shortages described by Cuban officials.
• Whether Havana and Washington can agree on what "without preconditions" negotiations would actually look like.
• The next annual UN vote on ending the embargo, a measure the Assembly has passed every year since 1992.