Trump's Oil Blockade Just Killed the Lights for 11 Million Cubans

Cuba's grid just collapsed

— again —

And this time there's no oil coming to fix it.

Grab your coffee.

This one's dark in every sense…

Cuba's blackout crisis just became a humanitarian emergency — and Washington built it by executive order. On Monday, the national grid collapsed. All 11 million people lost power. It's the third island-wide blackout in four months.

Zero oil shipments have reached Cuba in over three months. Trump's January executive order threatened tariffs on any country that dares to sell fuel to the island.

Watch the diplomatic talks — Havana is at the table, but Washington says Díaz-Canel has to leave it.

The last time the US blockaded Cuba this effectively, JFK was in the White House.

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On 29 January, Trump signed Executive Order 14380.

It declared a national emergency on Cuba and authorised tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Havana.

Venezuela's supply was already gone after the US ousted Maduro. Mexico's Pemex was next in the crosshairs. The New York Times called it America's first effective Cuba blockade since 1962.

Hospitals are postponing surgeries. Havana's rubbish trucks run at 41% capacity. Food spoils within hours.

Díaz-Canel says Cuba is operating on roughly 40% of the fuel it needs — and that number drops daily. A 61-year-old Havana resident told the AP the outages make him think anyone who can leave should.

Cuba's grid was already crumbling.

Years of neglected maintenance and ageing Soviet-era plants meant blackouts were routine long before January. The blockade didn't break the system. It just pulled the last plug.

The anger has moved past pot-banging.

On 14 March, protesters in Morón stormed and torched the local Communist Party headquarters. Nothing like it since the 2021 protests. Five were arrested. Video appears to show gunfire and a protester being carried away on a motorbike.

Military units have since deployed across multiple cities.

The government's response the next morning?

A loyalty rally outside the burned building. They brought speeches.

The people wanted diesel.

Washington isn't hiding the endgame.

Trump told reporters Monday he believes he'll have "the honour of taking Cuba." The New York Times reported that US negotiators told Havana that Díaz-Canel must go.

Cuba's response?

Release 51 political prisoners. Invite Cuban Americans to invest in the island for the first time. That's not confidence.

That's a regime shopping for a lifeboat.

Pro: The blockade pressures a regime holding over a thousand political prisoners to negotiate real democratic reform.

Con: Cutting fuel to 11 million people — collapsing hospitals, food chains, and sanitation — punishes civilians for their government's sins.

Our read: Regime change through starvation has a lousy track record. The pressure is real. But if Washington wants a deal, the people freezing their insulin need to be part of the maths.

White House — "Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba"

Executive Order 14380, signed 29 January 2026. Declares a national emergency and authorises tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba.

Why it matters: This is the legal backbone of the blockade. One signature turned off the taps for 11 million people.

Zero oil imports to Cuba since January. — Cuban government

CNBC — NVIDIA's Jensen Huang sees $1 trillion in AI chip orders through 2027. — Doubled last year's forecast. The leather jacket economy is booming.

TIME — TSA warns some US airports may literally shut down as the DHS shutdown hits Day 31. — 366 officers have quit. Callout rates hit 55% in Houston. Spring break travellers, godspeed.

Axios — Goldman Sachs raises US recession odds to 25% as Brent crude sits above $100. — The Strait of Hormuz crisis is now the largest oil supply disruption in history. Your petrol bill noticed.

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