HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cuba on Tuesday denounced American “slander” against its military-backed conglomerate GAESA, which dominates the island’s economy and was the recent target of new United States (US) sanctions.

The fresh restrictions on GAESA were announced in early May as part of Washington’s mounting pressure campaign against the communist-led island, which US President Donald Trump has openly mused about taking over.

In announcing the sanctions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused GAESA, which is estimated to control 70 per cent of the Cuban economy, of enriching the elites at the expense of ordinary citizens.