Venezuela

Sanctions and frozen funds hang in the balance as US-Iran peace talks continue, while Cuba runs out of fuel amid tightening sanctions and growing threats of military action.

The report finds that sanctions played a larger role in Venezuela’s economic collapse than some recent research claims.

The US unleashes “Operation Economic Fury” and blockade against Iran as sanctions on Venezuela are eased and Democrats push back on Trump threats of military action against Cuba.

Central bank sanctions have paralyzed Venezuela’s financial system, making economic recovery difficult even as some restrictions ease.

Trump administration allows limited Iranian and Russian oil sales, and eases certain Venezuela sanctions. Meanwhile, the US blockade on Cuba chokes the island’s economy and population, a policy that recent polling indicates many US Americans oppose.

Trump’s oil blockade fuels a crisis in Cuba as the US and Israel strike Iran. Trump eases sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sectors, while Canada relaxes sanctions on Syria. The EU fails to adopt its 20th package of Russia sanctions.

Trump eases some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector while maintaining the naval blockade and threatening tariffs on countries shipping oil to Cuba. Treasury Secretary Bessent says protests in Iran were sparked by sanctions-fueled economic crisis. 

In an article published in Phenomenal World, CEPR’s Alex Main and Ivana Vasić-Lalović explain how Venezuela lost access to its SDRs, and how unfreezing them could help set the country on a path to economic recovery.

CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot talked this week with KPFA’s Against the Grain about the latest developments in the Trump administration’s coercive approach to Venezuela.

CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot talked this week with KPFA’s Against the Grain about the latest developments in the Trump administration’s coercive approach to Venezuela.