President Trump threatens to impose tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba
President Trump warned Cuba to reach a deal with the United States after signing an executive order imposing tariffs on countries that supply Cuba with oil.
The Habanos Festival, an annual cigar fair in Havana, Cuba, has been postponed as the island nation faces a fuel crisis and travel to the country is being diverted, festival organizers announced on February 14.
The 26th edition of the festival was scheduled to take place in the last week of February, but Habanos SA, a joint venture between state-run Cuba Tobacco and tobacco giant Altadis, which has exclusive worldwide rights to Cuban cigars, said the purpose of the postponement was to “maintain the high quality standards” of the festival.
“The postponement of the (festival) celebrations is a measure aimed at protecting this experience and ensuring its excellence,” organizers said.
Habanos SA did not specify when the festival would be postponed, but said it would announce a new date “in due course.”
In a statement, Cubataco said the postponement was due to the “complex economic situation facing the country as a result of the United States government’s tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba.”
The Trump administration declared Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and cut off supplies from Venezuelan oil following the seizure by former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The administration has threatened to impose tariffs on other supplier countries, such as Mexico, if they continue shipping fuel to the island.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on January 11 that Cuba “must make a deal before it’s too late.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel criticized Trump on social media, saying, “Those who turn everything into business, even human life, have no moral authority to criticize Cuba for anything, anything at all.”
Cuba has warned international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available on the island after February 10, and three Canadian airlines suspended flights to the country on February 9. Cuba on February 6 detailed plans to survive the deepening crisis, including protecting essential services and rationing fuel as the government backs up against US efforts to cut off oil supplies.
What is Habanos Festival?
The Habanos Festival is a five-day event that brings together cigar enthusiasts and industry representatives from around the world.
The festival includes a gala dinner, visits to tobacco farms and cigar factories, a trade show, and a popular cigar auction. The 2025 auction raised $18 million, according to the Associated Press. According to Cigar Aficionado magazine, the main celebration this year was the 60th anniversary of the Cohiba brand.
“This is more than just a source of national revenue. This is a source of pride. In a country where foreign access is very limited, this is a source of connection to the outside world,” said Aaron Sigmond, the magazine’s luxury industry writer, publisher and editor. He has written several books on cigars, including his latest, Cigars: A Biography.
Sigmond compared the festival’s cultural status in the cigar world to major awards ceremonies such as the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards, and said the cancellation would have a major impact on the country.
“This is a comprehensive and devastating blow to the government, which needs foreign currency, and to the individual people, the Cuban people, who depend on foreign currency, tips, chips, goods,” Sigmond told USA TODAY.
Sigmond added that festival regulars bring medical supplies and clothing into the country “because we have become friends with some of the Cubans over the years.” He said the postponement would mainly affect “ordinary people” in the country.
“The people who couldn’t leave Cuba or didn’t want to leave Cuba, that’s fair and fine, but they are the ones who are suffering the most,” Sigmond said. “They are being punished for things that are largely out of their control.”
The festival was previously canceled in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contributor: Kate Perez, USA TODAY. Reuters
