Trump expands U.S. sanctions on Cuban government

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday broadening U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government, two White House officials told Reuters, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela's leader.



The fresh sanctions target people, entities and affiliates that support the Cuban government's security apparatus or are complicit in corruption or serious human rights violations, as well as agents, officials or supporters of the government, the officials said.



It was not immediately clear who exactly had been hit with sanctions under the order, which was first reported by Reuters.



But a copy of the order released by the White House said the sanctions could apply to "any foreign person" operating in the "energy, defense and related materiel, metals and mining, financial services, or security sector of the Cuban economy, or any other sector of the Cuban economy."



The order authorizes secondary sanctions for conducting or facilitating transactions with those targeted under the order, the officials said.