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Cuba Reportedly Runs Out of Diesel, Fuel Oil as Blackouts, Havana Protests Intensify

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Cuba has no diesel or fuel oil left as worsening blackouts and fuel shortages spark protests across Havana, multiple media sources reported Thursday.

"The sum of the different types of fuel: crude oil, fuel oil, of which we have absolutely none; diesel, of which we have absolutely none," Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said in an interview with state media.

Only limited gas supplies from domestic wells remain available, while Cuba's power grid stays in a "critical" condition under US fuel restrictions, de la O Levy said.

Blackouts now last as long as 20 to 22 hours in parts of Havana, while hospitals, schools and government offices continue reducing operations, he said.

Protests broke out across Havana on Wednesday night as hundreds of Cubans took to the streets during the city's largest demonstrations since the energy crisis began in January, according to media reports.

The prolonged outages are also hurting tourism activity across the island, while officials described conditions in Cuba as extremely tense, according to media reports.

Mexico and Venezuela have sharply reduced oil exports to Cuba after US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the island.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a post on X on Wednesday that the national power system remains under severe strain, with electricity shortages expected to exceed 2,000 megawatts during peak evening.

Diaz-Canel blamed worsening fuel shortages on the US energy blockade against Cuba, saying Washington continues threatening tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the island.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Cuba had rejected a US humanitarian aid offer worth $100 million, although Havana denied the claim, according to media reports.

The US State Department renewed the offer on Wednesday, saying the aid would move through the Catholic Church and trusted humanitarian groups, while urging Cuba's government to allow lifesaving assistance into the country.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez confirmed in a post on X that Havana is willing to review Washington's $100 million aid proposal, although details on how the assistance would be delivered remain unclear.

Rodriguez said the proposed aid could include fuel, food and medicine, while urging the US to ease economic and financial restrictions that continue worsening shortages across Cuba.

Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines didn't immediately respond torequest for comment.

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