LatinNews Daily - 18 September 2026

*The US government led by President Donald Trump has unveiled new sanctions on eight Cuban entities and three military officials as part of its ongoing pressure campaign on the island. The latest designations hit Cuba’s military and nickel sectors – both previously targeted. Those affected include four state-run enterprises related to nickel: Empresa de Servicios Técnicos de Computación, Comunicaciones y Electrónica (Serconi); Empresa de Ingeniería y Proyectos del Níquel (Ceproniquel); Centro de Investigaciones del Níquel Capitán Alberto Fernández Montes de Oca (Cediniq); and Pinares S.A. The four military enterprises, all dedicated to research and development, are: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Simuladores (Simpro); Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Naval (Cidnav); Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Armamento de Infantería (Cidai); and Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Grito de Baire (Gelcom). The three military officials blacklisted are Col. Joaquín Francisco Cancio Monteagudo; Capt. Dioglis Pedrera Argüello; and Col. Julio Hurtado Betancourt, the directors of Simpro, Cidnav, and Cidai, respectively. The latest round of sanctions comes as Cáritas Cuba, the Cuban branch of Caritas, the Catholic Church’s humanitarian and social arm, yesterday announced that a third shipment of humanitarian aid had arrived in Cuba, containing 700 food and 700 hygiene kits. The shipment is part of a US$100m humanitarian assistance package announced in May by Washington, which is being distributed by Caritas, and is intended to bypass the Cuban government led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel amid concerns regarding the humanitarian impact of US sanctions. Meanwhile in a further sign of pressure on the island, yesterday the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the immediate suspension of its political dialogue and cooperation agreement (PDCA) with Cuba that took effect provisionally in 2017, as well as EU sanctions against those responsible for repression in the country, singling out Díaz-Canel.

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