The US sanctions three military officers and eight entities of the Cuban regime

By Gelet Frangela,

The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions on Thursday against eight Cuban entities and three high-ranking officers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), as part of the Trump Administration’s pressure policy against the Havana regime.

The new measures target the Cuban military-industrial complex and the nickel sector, two areas that Washington considers linked to the economic support and repressive and military capabilities of the regime.

All designations were made under Executive Order 14404, signed by Trump on May 1, 2026, which allows sanctions to be imposed on foreign persons linked to certain sectors of the Cuban economy, repression and other activities that Washington considers threats to its national security and foreign policy.

Among the sanctioned entities are four military companies dedicated to research, development and production for the Armed Forces: the Simulator Research and Development Center (SIMPRO), dedicated to the development and manufacture of simulators and training for the FAR; the Naval Research and Development Center (CIDNAV), linked to research programs for the Revolutionary Navy; and the Infantry Weapons Research and Development Center (CIDAI), dedicated to the development, acquisition, modernization and evaluation of infantry weapons.

Also included was the Grito de Baire Research, Development and Production Center (GELCOM), a military entity dedicated to the production of electronic and communications equipment.

Along with these companies, the State Department sanctioned three officers who hold senior positions in the Cuban military apparatus: Joaquín Francisco Cancio Monteagudo, senior colonel of the FAR and director general of SIMPRO; Dioglis Pedrera Argüello, captain of the FAR and director general of CIDNAV; and Julio Hurtado Betancourt, senior colonel of the FAR and director general of CIDAI.

Washington also included four entities linked to the nickel sector on the list, one of Cuba’s main sources of mineral export revenue. These are the Computer, Communications and Electronics Technical Services Company (SERCONI), which provides services to the nickel industry; the Nickel Engineering and Projects Company (CEPRONIQUEL), which executes projects and coordinates state-run mineral extraction operations; the Captain Alberto Fernández Montes de Oca Nickel Research Center (CEDINIQ), dedicated to research and development for the sector; and PINARES SA, a state-owned mining company dedicated to geological studies of mineral deposits.

These entities contribute to the exploitation of Cuban natural resources and the generation of foreign currency for the island’s government. This measure adds to other sanctions adopted this year against companies linked to the Cuban mining and energy sector. On September 3, for example, Washington sanctioned the Banco Exterior de Cuba and four other entities related to the mining and energy industries.

The sanctions entail the blocking of all property and interests in property of the designated individuals that are in the United States or are in the possession or control of U.S. persons. Entities that are 50% or more owned, directly or indirectly, by one or more of the sanctioned individuals are also blocked.

In addition, U.S. persons and companies are prohibited from conducting transactions or providing funds, goods or services to sanctioned individuals, unless authorized or licensed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Executive Order 14404 also contemplates sanctions risks for foreign nationals who conduct certain transactions with designated individuals or entities or who operate in sectors identified as sensitive within the Cuban economy. @ADNCuba