President Donald Trump on Wednesday ramped up pressure on Cuba with new restrictions on US travel and remittances and a green light to lawsuits over seized property as he vowed to rid Latin America of leftists.
Defying European warnings on the long-festering property issue, Trump rolled back much of previous president Barack Obama's bid to reconcile with Cuba and also imposed fresh sanctions on Venezuela and Nicaragua, the two other hard-left nations in Latin America.
John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security advisor, said the measures were meant to "reverse the consequences of disastrous Obama-era policies and finally end the glamorization of socialism and communism."
Bolton also announced restrictions under which no individual can remit more than USD 1,000 per quarter to Cuba, pledging: "These new measures will help steer American dollars away from the Cuban regime."
Mexico, meanwhile, said it would support any of its companies targeted by the legislation, with the foreign ministry saying in a statement: "In this sense, Mexico endorses its support for the end of the economic and commercial blockade imposed against Cuba."