UPDATE 1-US issues new Cuba-related sanctions, Treasury Department website shows

​has imposed sanctions on one person and additional sanctions on two ‌entities related to Cuba, according to a notice posted on the U.S. Treasury Department's website on Thursday. Sherritt said in a statement on its website ⁠on Thursday that it had suspended its direct participation in ⁠joint venture activities ⁠in Cuba, effective immediately.

‌The U.S. ​has imposed sanctions on one person and additional sanctions on two ‌entities related to Cuba, according to a notice posted on the U.S. Treasury Department's website on Thursday. The State Department ‌said the sanctions target Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), ‌a conglomerate involved in all sectors of Cuba's economy and controlled by its military; Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, the executive president ⁠of GAESA; ​and MNSA, ⁠Moa Nickel SA, a joint venture between Toronto-based Sherritt International ⁠Corp and Cuba's state-owned nickel company.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration ​has ramped up pressure on Cuba this year, halting ⁠shipments of oil from Venezuela, which was Havana's longtime top supplier, ⁠and threatening ​to intensify economic sanctions on the Communist-ruled island. Sherritt said in a statement on its website ⁠on Thursday that it had suspended its direct participation in ⁠joint venture activities ⁠in Cuba, effective immediately.