Cuba Condemns U.S. Memorandum as Intimidatory Political Platform

The Presidential Memorandum on National Security issued by the United States government constitutes an intimidatory political platform that intensifies the blockade against Cuba, stated Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (Minrex), on Thursday.

According to the vice minister, the document serves as cover for actions already implemented or to be adopted by the White House to inflict suffering on the Cuban people, targeting the economy and development in sensitive areas such as tourism, fuel supply, electricity generation, food production, and others.

During an appearance on the informational program Mesa Redonda, Fernández de Cossío explained that the memorandum, made public on June 30, revises and amends a similar one enacted in 2017 during the first term of Republican President Donald Trump.

The measures outlined in the document have been in effect since the current administration returned to power in 2025. Both memoranda bear the influence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a faction that includes terrorists who profit from hostility against Cuba, he asserted.

The memorandum reveals an intent to attack Cuba’s private sector and threaten individuals and companies in the U.S. that legally export goods to the Caribbean nation, the vice minister noted.

However, he emphasized that the true philosophy behind the decades-long U.S. economic war against Cuba is rooted in the 1960 Lester Mallory memorandum and the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. Fernández de Cossío cited excerpts from both legal documents, which tacitly express the U.S. government’s determination to foster hardship and discontent among Cubans to undermine the Revolution and seize control of the country.

He described the blockade’s impact as severe, causing damage and distress, yet failing to achieve its intended goal due to the Cuban people’s resolve to defend their independence. "Cuba has overcome far greater challenges, and today we possess the capacity, organization, wisdom, and experience to withstand this new aggression from the imperialist power," he stressed.

On June 30, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the memorandum, which reverses measures implemented by his predecessor, Joe Biden. Among other provisions, it prohibits tourism to Cuba and tightens the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the island nation.