Havana, June 6 : Cuba has rejected remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington does not block oil shipments to the island, citing an American measure that imposes penalties on countries supplying oil to Cuba.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez wrote on the social media platform X on Friday (local time) that Rubio had repeatedly claimed the US government does not block oil shipments to Cuba, reports Xinhua news agency

Rodriguez pointed to Executive Order 14380, signed by US President Donald Trump on January 29, which authorises punitive tariffs on imports from countries that directly or indirectly supply oil to Cuba.

According to Rodriguez, any country that trades oil with Cuba faces the threat of commercial retaliation in the US market.

"Is that not blocking the entry of oil into Cuba?" Rodriguez wrote, describing the measure as a form of economic coercion against third countries.

He was responding to remarks Rubio made Tuesday before a US Senate committee, where the secretary of state defended the White House's position on Cuba's energy crisis.

Cuba relies heavily on imported fuel to meet domestic demand. According to official figures, the island requires about eight fuel shipments a month to operate normally.

So far this year, Cuba has received only one crude oil shipment -- the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying about 100,000 tonnes of oil.

Earlier on Wednesday, Cuba rejected the terror accusations made by Rubio in the US Senate.

Rodriguez said on X that Cuba's inclusion on the US list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism is based on political criteria rather than evidence.

Rodriguez said the designation is "so arbitrary and devoid of moral sense that the US Secretary of State himself lacks arguments before that country's Congress to justify the imposition of this criminal measure."

He said Rubio's remarks showed Washington's intention to keep pressure on Cuba.

"His mask crumbles. His political motivation and sole aim become clear: to strangle the Cuban economy by every possible means, provoke a humanitarian crisis, and promote military intervention in Cuba," Rodriguez said.

The Cuban foreign minister also said it was alarming that the congress allows "the lie of a public servant to stand."

Rubio made the remarks during a Senate hearing, where he defended the Trump administration's decision to keep Cuba on the list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism.

/IANS