Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued another slanderous statement, noting that President Donald Trump “has been absolutely clear” that, under his administration, anti-American influence in the Western Hemisphere would not be tolerated.

  Rubio invoked the false argument that “communist Cuba” poses a threat to U.S. national security, alleging that it has operated in this hemisphere “as a platform for malicious actors and terrorist groups.”

  The Secretary of State stated that “Cuba’s Banco Internacional de Comercio S.A. (BICSA) has provided services to the designated Iranian institution Karafarin Bank since at least 2022.”

  Because the Department of the Treasury had already sanctioned Karafarin Bank, it extended penalties to the Cuban state-owned entity, BICSA, in connection with these alleged “Iranian financial actors.”

  This measure increases the risk for foreign banks and companies that engage in certain transactions with the Cuban entity—yet another example of the extraterritorial reach of the rigid economic, commercial, and financial blockade that has weighed on the Caribbean nation for more than six decades.

  This latest move was taken under Executive Order 14404, issued by President Trump last May, which expands the authority to impose sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the government of Cuba.

  In less than four months, the White House has imposed sanctions on the island’s major banks, amid a brutal tightening of Washington’s unilateral blockade.

jdt/mh/dfm