Cuba claims it has run out of oil and diesel

"We have absolutely no fuel and absolutely no diesel," Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said in state media, according to Reuters.

The communist one-party state of Cuba has been suffering from fuel shortages since last winter, largely due to the US blocking oil supplies from Venezuela amid tensions involving then‑Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

According to the energy minister, the situation is critical. Oil reserves are said to be completely depleted, and power outages are frequent and prolonged because the electricity system relies heavily on fossil fuels.

The Cuban government says it is negotiating fuel imports despite the blockade, but rising prices are making it more difficult.