US Sanctions Cuban President Díaz-Canel, Castro Kin and Military Ministry Under EO 14404
The State Department on June 4 designated five individuals and five entities at the apex of the Cuban state, in the third sanctions round in just over a month under Executive Order 14404, signed May 1, 2026.
At a glance
- State Department designated five individuals and five entities on June 4, 2026 under EO 14404
- Designees include President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, stepson Manuel Anido Cuesta, Alejandro Castro Espín and Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis
- Entities include MINFAR, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, ICAP, Amistur Cuba SA and Minera la Victoria SA
- Third round of Cuba sanctions in under a month under EO 14404, signed May 1, 2026
- All US-jurisdiction property of designees is blocked and must be reported to OFAC
VERDICT — CONFIRMED
The State Department on June 4 designated five individuals and five entities at the apex of the Cuban state, in the third sanctions round in just over a month under Executive Order 14404, signed May 1, 2026. The individuals are President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; his spouse Lis Cuesta Peraza; her son Manuel Anido Cuesta; Alejandro Castro Espín, former head of Cuban intelligence services and son of Raúl Castro; and Castro Espín's son Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis.
The entities are the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR); the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples; Amistur Cuba SA; the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution; and Minera la Victoria SA. The State Department's fact sheet framed the action as part of the administration's push to end the regime's 'campaign of political, ideological, and institutional warfare' against the United States.
All property and interests in property of the designated persons in US jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC, cutting the designees off from the US financial system. UPI and Bloomberg reported the additions to the SDN list the same day, noting the designations reach the sitting head of state and the broader Castro family orbit.
Why it matters
sanctioning a sitting president, the defense ministry and mass-surveillance organs forecloses near-term normalization and signals designations are now aimed at regime decapitation rather than behavior change.
Key facts on file
- State Department designated five individuals and five entities on June 4, 2026 under EO 14404
- Designees include President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, stepson Manuel Anido Cuesta, Alejandro Castro Espín and Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis
- Entities include MINFAR, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, ICAP, Amistur Cuba SA and Minera la Victoria SA
- Third round of Cuba sanctions in under a month under EO 14404, signed May 1, 2026
- All US-jurisdiction property of designees is blocked and must be reported to OFAC
