New US government rules restrict travel and trade with Cuba

Washington

THE US government made it tougher on Wednesday for Americans to visit Cuba and do business in the country, making good on a pledge by President Donald Trump to roll back his Democratic predecessor's move toward warmer ties with Havana.

The restrictions, which take effect on Thursday, are aimed at preventing the military, intelligence and security arms of Cuba's Communist government from benefiting from American tourists and trade, the White House said.

They fill in the regulatory detail on a Trump policy speech in June, in which the Republican president called for a tightening of restrictions. He said then that the Cuban government continued to oppress its people and former president Barack Obama had made too many concessions in his 2014 diplomatic breakthrough wit…