The United States has imposed sanctions on Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), accusing the government agency of serving as a major source of revenue for the Cuban regime.

The action was announced Monday by the US Department of State as part of a broader package targeting 10 Cuban entities that Washington says support the government’s economic structure and alleged repression of the Cuban people.

According to the State Department, MINTUR was designated under Executive Order 14404 for being “a political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the Government of Cuba.”

The department described MINTUR as Cuba’s government agency responsible for regulating tourism activities in and out of the country and said it “constitutes the largest single player in the tourism sector outside of” the Cuban military-linked business conglomerate Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA).

The sanctions are part of what the State Department called the Trump administration’s effort to target “interlocking pillars” of Cuba’s state apparatus, including entities it says generate revenue for the government and organisations involved in surveillance and repression.

“The United States will continue to use every tool at our disposal to both address the national security threats posed by the Cuban Communist regime, and to drive the economic and political reforms to give Cuba a better future,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a July 11 statement marking the fifth anniversary of the Cuban government’s crackdown on 2021 protests.

The State Department said all 10 entities sanctioned Monday were designated under Executive Order 14404, which authorises sanctions against individuals and organisations determined to meet criteria related to repression in Cuba and other threats to US national security and foreign policy.

Alongside MINTUR, the sanctions target several Cuban state-owned entities involved in sectors including energy, foreign trade, finance and maritime transportation.

The State Department also sanctioned entities it identified as part of Cuba’s security and paramilitary structure, including the Milicias de Tropas Territoriales (MTT), the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution (ACRC), and Rapid Response Brigades.

The U.S. government said the measures are intended to restrict access to funds and resources it alleges help sustain the Cuban government.