The Trump administration has paused a significant fuel shipment from the United States to Cuba. Vanguard Energy, a Florida-based trading firm, had planned to send 250,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel from Texas to the island nation. This would have marked one of the largest fuel shipments to Cuba from the U.S. in recent decades.

The agreement included leasing Cuban government facilities for fuel storage. However, once this deal became public, the State Department halted it. Officials emphasized that Vanguard Energy needed explicit permission from U.S. authorities to continue.

Vanguard Energy has not received any U.S. license for this transaction, the State Department stated. The Trump administration’s sanctions remain in place without specific guidance or licensing to the contrary.

This action illustrates the administration’s effort to exert pressure on Cuba’s government. The aim is to limit the island’s oil supply, already diminishing for months. The crisis worsened when U.S. forces removed Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s former leader, in January. Venezuela had been a key supplier of subsidized oil to Cuba.