Cuba Faces Nationwide Power Outage Amid Secret CIA Talks and US Sanctions
Cuba experienced a complete nationwide power blackout on Monday, severely worsening the island's ongoing energy crisis. The Cuban Ministry of Energy confirmed the total collapse of the national electricity grid and launched an official investigation into the cause. Emergency micro-systems are being used to supply power to essential services as technicians work to restore electricity. The blackout comes amid intensified US sanctions that have halted fuel shipments from Cuba's main oil suppliers, exacerbating the country's economic and humanitarian crisis.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the United States of deliberately blocking fuel imports to provoke a "social explosion through strangulation." Meanwhile, Cuban officials blame Washington for a policy of collective punishment aimed at destabilizing the country. Cuban Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva described the US pressure as "genocide" against the Cuban people. The economic downturn has also sharply reduced foreign tourism, further straining the local economy.
Despite recent reforms approved by Cuba's National Assembly last month to partially open the economy, the US State Department dismissed these changes as "modest, belated, and ultimately superficial." Behind the scenes, secret talks have taken place between US and Cuban officials, including a May meeting in Havana between CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Cuban intelligence chiefs, as well as discussions between US Southern Command and Cuban military leaders near Guantanamo Bay. Washington is particularly concerned about alleged Russian and Chinese espionage activities in Cuba, which Havana denies.
The power outage is the most severe since March, when Cuba suffered multiple total blackouts within a week. The island's aging electrical infrastructure has struggled to meet demand for months, and the current crisis is placing heavy pressure on basic services such as education, transportation, and healthcare. Cuban authorities continue to resist US diplomatic and economic pressure while seeking ways to stabilize the energy supply and economy.
