US tightens sanctions on Cuba

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States (US)  announced Tuesday a tightening of sanctions against Cuba, clamping down on certain financial transactions and travel by US citizens to the Communist island.

The sanctions, announced by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), prohibit indirect financial transactions with sanctioned Cuban entities, particularly those linked to the security apparatus and to Gaesa, the Cuban military’s economic conglomerate.

OFAC has banned so-called U-Turn transactions, which allowed US banks to process dollar payments related to Cuba provided that the origin and destination were outside the United States and did not involve American citizens.