The United States on 11 July imposed visa restrictions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and senior officials Álvaro López Miera and Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, marking the first time Washington has directly sanctioned Cuba’s head of state. The measures, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, coincide with the fourth anniversary of the island’s 2021 anti-government protests. In addition to the individual sanctions, the State Department added Havana’s new 42-story “Torre K” hotel to its Cuba Restricted List, barring U.S. citizens from transactions that could channel dollars to the government. Rubio said the steps respond to the regime’s “brutality toward the Cuban people” and aim to curb funds that might finance repression. Rubio also accused authorities of torturing jailed democracy activist José Daniel Ferrer and demanded proof that he is alive, reiterating Washington’s call for the immediate release of all political prisoners. U.S. officials say hundreds of Cubans remain behind bars for taking part in the July 2021 demonstrations. Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, rejected the sanctions, arguing that the United States lacks the ability to “break the will” of the Cuban people. Venezuela’s government issued a separate statement denouncing what it called a continuation of U.S. aggression. The latest actions deepen tensions as the Trump administration strengthens its long-running embargo and migratory penalties against Havana.