the United States still targets the tourism sector with aerial restrictions

The United States on Friday tightened its sanctions on the vital sector of tourism in Cuba by restricting the possibility for companies in the country to rent aircraft.

The US Commerce Department has announced that it will revoke the existing licenses of US companies leasing their aircraft to Cuban airlines, and that it will refuse any future requests.

This announcement could make it more difficult for Cuba to meet the growing demand due to the rapid expansion of its tourism sector, a key source of revenue for the country.

Washington, which has already implemented an economic embargo since 1962, is doing everything it can to force Cuba to withdraw its support for Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro's government, which the United States wants to see left power.

"This action by the Commerce Department sends a new and very clear message to the Cuban regime – they must immediately stop its destructive behavior at home and abroad," Trade Minister Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

The number of aircraft concerned was not known immediately.

Friday's announcement also extends restrictions on imports from Cuba and US products that can be sold domestically.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced on Twitter "additional acts of economic blockage, representative of a morally failing policy, isolated internationally and promoted by a corrupt government."

In June, US President Donald Trump, who has tightened sanctions against Cuba since coming to power, announced the ban on US cruise ships to stop on the island.