US sanctions grandson of Cuban ex-president Raul Castro

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—The United States on Thursday issued sanctions against a grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro and five state-linked entities, the latest salvo in Washington's crippling pressure campaign against the communist-led island. "Among those designated today are a grandson of Raul Castro, Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis, Banco Exterior de Cuba, and four entities exploiting Cuba's natural resources or energy reserves for the benefit of the regime," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement. Raul Castro, 95, no longer holds an official position but remains a key power-broker on the island.

Washington filed criminal charges targeting him this year. The United States in June issued an earlier spate of sanctions targeting members of Castro's family, as well as President Miguel Diaz-Canel and his family. Fidel Ernesto Castro Calis is not known to play a political role in Cuba.

His parents have already been sanctioned. His father, Alejandro Castro Espin, is Raul Castro's only son and was a key player in the secret negotiations between Cuba and the United States that led to the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2015. While Cuba has been under a US trade embargo since 1962, President Donald Trump has drastically ramped up pressure in recent months, cutting off its fuel supplies and threatening to take over the island.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to overthrow Cuba's leadership since he ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January this year. The crippling energy blockade on Cuba has deepened its economic crisis. Trump administration officials and businesspeople have previously met with other members of the Castro family, such as another of Raul Castro's grandsons, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro.

Banco Exterior De Cuba, one of the state-owned entities sanctioned on Thursday, is a bank primarily focused on international transactions, financing trade and corporate banking. The other state-linked entities sanctioned include companies working with the nickel and cobalt industries, as well as two that work closely with the state-owned energy company CUPET.