Aim at the Regime's Wallet, Not the Cuban Family: Why the New Cuba Rules Are Right
New Treasury rules took effect Sept. 30, closing payment loopholes and ending group tours, while the Coast Guard detailed two Cuba-bound fuel seizures. In our view, the Treasury rules are aimed at the right targets, though the wider pressure campaign's human costs are real.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Senior Features Writer | October 5, 2026 | 6-min read For years, American sanctions on Cuba's regime have had side doors. U.S. banks could process certain Cuba-related transfers that began and ended abroad. Group tours could travel under a general license. And fuel kept moving toward the island on ships the Coast Guard believes used "dark fleet" tactics. Last week, new Treasury rules closing several of those doors took effect, and the Coast Guard detailed two earlier seizures of Cuba-bound fuel ships. In our view, it is the right policy aimed at the right people, but it has real costs, and we will not pretend otherwise. Key Takeaways Two Treasury rules took effect Sept. 30. They ban even indirect financial transactions with restricted-list entities tied to Cuba's military, intelligence or security services, end group "people-to-people" tours, and add a new sanctions program aimed at those responsible for repression [1][2]. On Oct. 2, the Coast Guard announced it had intercepted the Cuba-bound fuel ship Grace and cited an earlier seizure. Those seizures took place on Sept. 5 and June 28, before the new rules, as part of a separate fuel-interdiction campaign [3][4]. The costs are real. ABC News, citing U.S. officials, reports that the fuel blockade has led to a power crisis in Cuba, and the new rules also cut off U.S. bank accounts for Cuban private entrepreneurs [1][4]. The aim is simple: stop American dollars from reaching the military, intelligence and security services that underpin Cuba's regime. The question is whether it can be done without hurting the ordinary Cubans we want to help. In our view, the answer is mostly yes, but not entirely. What the New Rules Do The first rule amends the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to carry out a national security memorandum President Trump signed on June 30, 2025 [1]. It bars Americans from even indirect financial transactions with entities on the State Department's Cuba Restri…