March 17, 2026 | 09:48 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Cuban government on Monday announced that the Latin American island nation was subject to a nationwide blackout.
The Cuban Ministry for Energy and Mines said that there has been a "total disconnection" from the electricity grid.
"The causes are being investigated and protocols for restoration are beginning to be activated," the ministry posted on X.
Why is Cuba suffering blackouts?
Cuba has been suffering long blackouts as US President Donald Trump's administration blocks Venezuelan oil shipments to the island. Venezuela had been Cuba's top supplier of oil.
The US operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January was a significant blow to the Cuban government. Since then, Trump has backed acting President Delcy Rodriguez and oil deliveries to Cuba have been halted.
In addition, Trump has vowed to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba. Mexico and Russia are two of Cuba's other oil suppliers.
On Friday, Cuba witnessed a violent demonstration amid power cuts and high food prices, with protesters ransacking a building belonging to the ruling Communist Party.
Cuba's president: Island hasn't received oil shipments in over three months
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Friday that Cuba had not received oil shipments in three months, and that the country is reliant on solar power, natural gas and thermoelectric plants. Diaz-Canel also said Cuba has held talks with the US regarding its energy and economic crisis.
Just days after the talks began, Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga told NBC News on Monday that Cuba plans to allow Cubans living abroad to invest and own businesses in Cuba. This policy shift would include Cubans living in the United States.
Trump has previously suggested that regime change in Cuba could be next after the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.
The US president told journalists on Air Force One on Sunday that Cuba "wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do."
Read: NATO Allies Reject Trump Call to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
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