The Trump administration has maintained a maximum-pressure approach toward Cuba since early 2026, using executive orders to impose secondary tariffs on third-country oil suppliers and expand sanctions authority over Cuba’s energy sector, including designations targeting state oil firm CUPET and military-linked entities. Recent actions through mid-August have focused on restricting revenue streams via new SDN listings and general licenses tied to energy, finance, and related sectors rather than easing restrictions. Limited case-by-case allowances for private-sector fuel transactions were introduced earlier in the year but have not broadened into official sanction relief on oil sales or transport. Cuba’s ongoing fuel shortages and blackouts have not prompted policy reversal, with administration statements emphasizing continued targeting of government revenue sources. Upcoming congressional or diplomatic developments remain unlikely to alter this trajectory absent major shifts in bilateral negotiations.