In Madrid, the 30th Ibero‑American Summit concluded on Nov. 5 with Cuban officials publicly criticizing the United States for escalating sanctions against the island, describing them as an "energy blockade" and "infinite levels of collective punishment".
Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel announced on social media that Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Rodríguez had addressed the summit and denounced the expanded U.S. measures. Díaz‑Canel said the minister reaffirmed Cuba's commitment to Ibero‑American cooperation, based on equality, sovereignty and mutual respect, and urged collective action against what he termed an "obsessive war of economic strangulation."
Rodríguez emphasized that over the past ten months Cubans have endured a tightening of the U.S. trade embargo, a naval‑style energy blockade and secondary sanctions that target individuals and companies seeking to do business with Cuba. “The United States has pushed its obsessive war of economic strangulation against Cuba to inhumane levels of collective punishment,” he said. He called for action in line with the founding principles of the Ibero‑American Community, to counter arbitrary sanctions and the abuse of power.
Both the foreign minister and the president highlighted the importance of advancing joint projects, sharing knowledge and pursuing common solutions to promote sustainable development. The remarks were framed within Cuba’s broader message that the U.S. sanctions represent an unprecedented economic siege, and that the Ibero‑American bloc should stand together to resist them.
