Pompeo sanctions Cuba bank for alleged links to country's military

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has added a Cuban bank to a list of sanctioned entities, accusing it of being linked to the country’s military and funding "Cuba's interference in Venezuela."

"Today, the Department of State is announcing the addition of Banco Financiero International S.A. (BFI) to the Cuba Restricted List, effective upon publication in early January,” Pompeo said in a Friday statement, alleging that “BFI is a Cuban military-controlled commercial bank that benefits directly from financial transactions at the expense of the Cuban people."

Reacting to yet another anti-Cuba measure by Washington in recent weeks, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez slammed the move in a Twitter post later on Friday, saying, "I reject new punitive measure of #US State Department to tighten blockade against #Cuba.”

"The inclusion of Cuban entities in its lists is intended to reinforce an economic siege that has failed to destroy the Cuban Revolution after 62 years." 

The move by Washington's top diplomat came amid speculation that the out-going Trump administration may be planning to redesignate the island as a state sponsor of terrorism, a hostile measure that would severely impede foreign investment in the Caribbean island nation and could hinder diplomatic ties with the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

This comes ahead of January 3, which marks the 60th anniversary of the United States severing relations with Cuba following the "bay of pigs" defeat of its military incursion into the country after its popular revolution that ousted the US-installed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

US-Cuba tensions eased a bit under the administration of former President Barack Obama, who established diplomatic relations and removed Cuba from Washington’s arbitrary “terror list” in 2015.

Biden, who was Obama's vice president, has offered only broad details about his Cuba policy but has indicated he would again relax some restrictions against Havana while still raising concerns about alleged human rights violations.

On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel censured a final-hour effort by the Trump administration to place the Caribbean island on its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Cuban president slams US plan to place island on terrorism list

Cuba’s president condemns US efforts to place the county back on terrorism list.

President Díaz-Canel said in a tweet that Havana condemns “a unilateral, absurd, hypocritical and unjust maneuver of the US administration to include Cuba in their list of state sponsors of terrorism.”

“This administration protects terrorist groups acting against #Cuba,” he added.

Díaz-Canel also wrote that Havana “will constantly and rightfully denounce every mercenary and imperialist action against #Cuba.”

Meanwhile, a New York Times report cited two US officials as saying that Pompeo was contemplating efforts to re-designate Cuba as a state sporor of “terrorism.”

Democratic Party lawmakers have, however, denounced Pompeo’s Cuba plan, describing it as an attempt to unfairly limit Biden’s incoming administration.

“It’s another stunt by this president with less than 23 days to go,” said Democrat Representative Gregory Meeks, adding that Trump is “trying to put handcuffs on the incoming administration.”

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