Cuba’s latest blackout underscores its deepening economic crisis and tensions with US

A street vendor waits for customers on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 2026-03-17T15:25:11Z HAVANA (AP) — Large parts of Cuba were without power on Tuesday after its third blackout in four months underscored the island’s deepening energy and economic crises and rising political tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump . Electricity was slowly being restored to hospitals and some of the island’s 11 million residents, but officials warned that its crumbling power network could fail again. Cuba’s aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to daily outages and an increase in significant blackouts. The government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. After Cuba was plunged into darkness again, Trump said on Monday he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba.” “I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it,” he said. Trump has described Cuba as a “very weakened nation.” The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump has also raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.” Critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then-president, Nicolás Maduro. While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand as its electric grid continues to crumble. Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said on X that the island had restored the electrical system in the western town of Pinar del Rio and the southeastern province of Holguin and that some “microsystems” were beginning to operate in various territories. State-owned media reported that by late Monday power had been restored to 5% of resident

原文链接: AP News