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Cuba Reportedly Pleads With Vatican To Get The US Off Its Back As Energy Crisis Grows

(Photo by ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP via Getty Images)

Derek VanBuskirk

Reporter

March 30, 20266:23 PM ET

Cuban officials have reportedly petitioned the Vatican to advocate for the island nation in an effort to maintain power and secure aid as the communist country struggles amid an energy crisis.

The crisis, which has resulted in rolling blackouts, arose following a late January executive order characterizing Cuba as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” and imposing a tariff on any country that provides or sells oil to Cuba.

In the two months since the de facto oil blockade was put into place, the Cuban government has conducted senior-level meetings with Holy See officials — including the pope — in the hopes that they would function as an interlocutor between Cuba and the U.S., according to The Washington Post (Post). 

On Feb. 20, the senior diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Mike Hammer, and the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, held meetings with Latin American ambassadors to the Vatican, according to the Post.

They spoke of “how to work with the Church to support the Cuban people’s desire for economic opportunity and freedom,” the outlet reported. The U.S. diplomats reportedly also met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

Hammer told the Latin American Church diplomats that Cuba’s regime would fall “in a matter of days,” a person familiar told the outlet.

Hammer and Burch also held a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. A source familiar with the conversation said the Vatican hopes for a resolution that is “not as traumatic” as Trump’s arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

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'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini Warns Trump May Escalate Iran War: 'If HeChickens Out Right Now...'

March 28, 2026 1:43 AM


by Ananya Gairola Benzinga Staff Writer


On Friday, Nouriel Roubini, the economist who called the 2008 financial crisis, cautioned that President Donald Trump is more likely to intensify the U.S. conflict with Iran rather than seek a quick resolution.

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Roubini dismissed the notion that Trump is searching for an "off-ramp" to end the war, despite market optimism around a potential peace deal, he told CNBC at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.

"If he chickens out right now, he loses credibility. He lost the war," Roubini said, adding that such a move could hurt Trump's chances in upcoming elections.

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Will U.S. stop it? Russian tanker with desperately needed oil closes in on Cuba

March 25, 2026 Updated Wed., March 25, 2026 at 2:46 p.m.

A man rides his bicycle past an empty gas station in Havana, Cuba, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) (Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS) X

Antonio María Delgado

Miami Herald


A Russian oil tanker carrying hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude is steadily approaching Cuba, setting up a high-stakes test of Washington’s willingness to enforce its tightening energy embargo on the island as it grapples with a deepening fuel crisis.

Jorge Piñón, an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, said the vessel — the Anatoly Kolodkin — appears to be maintaining a steady course toward Cuba.

“This morning — when I checked it; I haven’t checked it just now — it was en route to Cuba. It is maintaining a speed of roughly 12 knots,” Piñón said. “I imagine it should arrive sometime within the next six days. However, for the moment, it hasn’t changed either its direction or its speed.”

Ferrying an estimated 700,000 to 730,000 barrels of Russian crude across the Atlantic, the tanker is widely believed by analysts to be heading for the Cuban port of Matanzas, despite broadcasting a misleading destination.

Its approach comes at a moment of heightened geopolitical tension, as the United States seeks to tighten pressure on Havana while managing global energy disruptions triggered by conflict in Iran and ongoing confrontations with Russia.LL

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Russia may test Trump’s Cuba’s blockade with oil tankers crossing Atlantic

by: Sophie Brams, The Hill

Posted: Mar 20, 2026 / 06:30 PM CDT

Updated: Mar 20, 2026 / 06:30 PM CDT


Two vessels carrying Russian oil are reportedly heading for Cuba in the coming days in a move that could test President Trump’s longstanding blockade, according to the Financial Times, citing maritime intelligence companies.

One of the tankers making its way to the Caribbean island is Sea Horse, a Hong Kong-flagged ship estimated to be carrying approximately 190,000 barrels of gasoil from Russia, according to tracking from maritime AI company Windward.

The Associated Press reported on Thursday that another ship, the Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin, is roughly 3,000 nautical miles from Cuba and expected to reach the island in 10 days.

Cuba has plunged into a deep economic and energy crisis due to an oil embargo put in place by the Trump administration in January following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

The island’s electrical grid collapsed earlier this week, leaving nearly 11 million people in the dark for more than 29 hours before power was partially restored. The nation is also facing a worsening humanitarian crisis with limited access to food, water and medication.

The U.S. has sought to leverage economic pressure to push political reform in Cuba, with President Trump warning other countries not to do business with them.

The Treasury Department has maintained the blockade, even as it eases sanctions on some Russian and Venezuelan oil in a bid to boost global supply amid the conflict with Iran. Analysts have told The Hill that the Trump administration’s actions are unlikely to have much of an effect on surging prices and that the only meaningful way to do so would be to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

No shipments of oil have arrived on Cuba’s shores in three months, but that could change if the two tankers arrive as anticipated over the next several weeks.

Despite Trump’s threats, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Moscow was “ready to provide all possible assistance” to officials in Havana, according to the Moscow Times.

The potential escalation comes as the U.S. and Cuba are holding discussions to address “bilateral differences” and identify “areas of cooperation,” according to Cuban President Manuel Díaz-Canel.

Díaz-Canel on Wednesday accused the U.S. of threatening the country “almost daily” and pledged to meet any potential aggression with “impregnable resistance,” days after Trump said he believes he will have the “honor” of taking over Cuba.

“Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “You want to know the truth? They’re a very weakened nation now.”

Source

U.S. says Cuba is prohibited from taking Russian oil as two tankers head to island

Key Points

• The U.S. Treasury Department has made clear that Cuba is not allowed to take delivery of Russian crude.
• The warning comes at a time when two tankers carrying Russian oil and gas are thought to be on their way to Havana.
• The fuel-starved Caribbean island is facing its biggest test since the collapse of the Soviet Union under a U.S. oil blockade.

An old Soviet-era Lada car drives past a truck belonging to a private Cuban company (mipyme) parked in front of a gas station with an IsoTank of imported fuel in Havana on March 19, 2026.

Adalberto Roque | Afp | Getty Images

Published Fri, Mar 20 202

64:54 AM EDT

Sam Meredith@in/samuelmeredith@smeredith19WATCH LIVE

The U.S. Treasury Department has said Cuba won’t be allowed to take delivery of Russian crude, even as the fuel-starved island appears poised to receive two tankers carrying oil and gas.

In a general license published Thursday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Cuba to a list of countries that would be blocked from transactions involving the sale, delivery or offloading of crude or petroleum products that originate from Russia.

The U.S. had temporarily authorized the purchase of Russian oil stranded at sea last week, as part of an effort to stabilize energy markets during the U.S. and Israeli-led war on Iran. The short-term measure suspended sanctions that were first imposed on Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The update comes as maritime intelligence providers have been tracking two tankers carrying Russian oil and gas heading toward Cuba.

Beset by blackouts and a worsening economic crisis under a U.S. oil blockade, the communist-run Caribbean island is currently facing its biggest test since the collapse of the Soviet Union. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier in the week that he thinks he’ll have the “honor” of taking Havana in some form.

Russia, which has been allied to Cuba for decades, has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s fuel blockade and pledged to provide the country with “necessary support, including financial aid.”

US says it destroyed Iranian vessels near Strait of Hormuz

Strait Showdown: Iran Launches "Smart Control" Exercise At Oil Transit Point

by Tyler Durden

Monday, Feb 16, 2026 - 01:00 PM


Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) kicked off naval drills Monday in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, according to state media.

The exercise, dubbed "Smart Control of Hormuz Strait," is being carried out by IRGC naval forces under the direct supervision of the Guards' top command, state television reported, with semi-official Tasnim news agency describing the drills as testing combat readiness against "possible security and military threats." Energy markets are watching closely.

IRNA: IRGC Navy conducts a hybrid, live exercise dubbed "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz."

Under the supervision of IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Mohammad Pakpour, a state media press release described the exercise further as "A rapid, decisive, and comprehensive response to maritime security threats form the core focus of the intelligence and operational components of the units deployed during the exercise."

Indirect nuclear talks between the US and Iran have lately resumed after collapsing when Israel launched strikes on Iran in June 2025, igniting a 12-day conflict that included US attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities - with another round of negotiations scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, with Oman serving as mediator.

The timing is no coincidence, given that late last week President Trump announced he was dispatching a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, while continuing to warn that military action against Iran remains on the table.

The IRGC has been conducing sporadic and in some cases unannounced drills in regional waters in order to demonstrate to Washington the Islamic Republic's military readiness.

Two weeks ago, when some of the first drills kicked off, US Central Command (CENTCOM) warned the IRGC it better be careful in the vicinity of US naval assets.

"We will not tolerate unsafe IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) actions including overflight of U.S. military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of U.S. military assets when intentions are unclear, highspeed boat approaches on a collision course with U.S. military vessels, or weapons trained at U.S. forces," CENTCOM said at the time.

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Indian state studies plan to ban petrol, diesel vehicles in Mumbai to control pollution

By Reuters

January 28, 202512:09 PM EST

Updated 5 hours ago

Traffic moves in front of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) building in Mumbai, India, August 14, 2024. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani/File Photo 

MUMBAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The western Indian state of Maharashtra has formed a panel to study a proposal to ban petrol and diesel vehicles in Mumbai city amid worsening air quality and only allow electric or gas driven vehicles, it said in an order.
Any ban on petrol, diesel vehicles in the financial capital, if implemented, may not only impact automobile manufacturers, but also citizens and businesses which rely heavily on these vehicles amid inadequate electric vehicle charging infrastructure and still developing metro rail networks.

The city, home to the country's stock exchanges and offices of several global banks and multinationals, has seen air quality worsen since the pandemic amid growing traffic congestion and several ongoing infrastructure and construction projects.
Maharashtra's government said it has formed a seven-member committee to study the proposal of banning petrol and diesel vehicles and only allowing electric and compressed natural gas vehicles in the Mumbai metropolitan region following a court directive. The government order is dated Jan. 22 but gained public attention on Tuesday after Indian media extensively reported it.

Earlier in January the Bombay High Court in its own public interest litigation directed the Maharashtra state government to constitute a committee of experts to study and see if it is feasible to phase out petrol-diesel driven vehicles.

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