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Cuba's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, has sharply criticized new US sanctions against Cuba, saying the measures have nothing to do with supporting the Cuban people and instead aggravate the humanitarian impact of Washington's long-running economic embargo.

Speaking to TASS in New York, Guzman rejected US claims about the sanctions' intent, saying no rational person – 'and certainly not the people of Cuba, who suffer the humanitarian impact of the U.S. economic war' – could believe that the intensification of the blockade was aimed at helping Cubans. The new measures, he argued, amount to an energy siege on the island.

Coverage comparison

The report comes from TASS, which carried Guzman's remarks in two separate dispatches. In its first item, the agency quoted his comments on the sanctions themselves and on the toll they have taken on Cuba. In the second, it covered his rebuttal of what he characterized as dishonest statements by US politicians about the situation on the island.

Both pieces frame the Cuban diplomat's message in his own words, relying on direct quotes rather than background analysis. Neither attributes its information to any other news organization, and the facts presented originate with Guzman and with the US official statement about the sanctions.

Key claims

  • US sanctions against Cuba, according to UAE Ambassador to the UN Ernesto Soberon Guzman: He stated that strengthening US sanctions against Cuba has nothing to do with supporting the Cuban people and only worsens the humanitarian consequences of economic pressure, as reported by TASS.
  • US sanctions list: According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Washington administration added five Cuban companies to its sanctions list, per Tramit.
  • Child healthcare impact: Guzman said the parents of 12,000 children currently awaiting surgery in Cuba should testify to the effect of the sanctions, describing the US government's policies as 'genocidal', as carried by this.
  • Criticism of US rhetoric: Guzman criticized statements by US officials, including Eric Waltz and Maria Cavalier, calling the remarks part of a 'chorus of lies and cynicism' directed by Secretary of State Marco Salazar, according to TASS.