Cuban President: The collective punishment imposed by the United States on the Cuban people is an act of genocide.

Cuban President Diaz-Canel said in a social media post on the 18th that the collective punishment imposed by the United States on the Cuban people is an act of genocide and should be condemned by international organizations, and those who promote it should be held criminally responsible. Earlier that day, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against 9 Cuban officials and the Cuban intelligence agency. Diaz-Canel stated that no one in the leadership of the Cuban party, state, government or military institutions has assets or property protected by U.S. jurisdiction. The U.S. government is well aware of this and cannot provide any evidence. Its hateful anti-Cuban rhetoric is an excuse for its escalating all-out economic war. Diaz-Canel also mentioned that the U.S. executive orders threaten third parties intending to sell fuel to Cuba and extend the blockade measures to an unprecedented degree, punishing those who want to invest in Cuba or simply provide basic supplies to Cuba, which is "unethical, illegal, and criminal". The U.S. has long imposed economic, financial blockade and trade sanctions against Cuba. After launching a massive military attack on Venezuela earlier this year, the U.S. further increased pressure on Cuba, including implementing a new round of oil restrictions. On May 1, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order increasing sanctions on Cuba citing "threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy".