Havana, December 3 (RHC)—Cuba strongly reacted on Tuesday to the U.S. blacklisting of six Venezuelan owned ships for carrying oil to Cuba, in the latest move by Washington to pressure the island into abandoning its support for Caracas and constitutional President Nicolas Maduro.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on Twitter: "Trump strikes again: 6 vessels sanctioned for shipping oil from Venezuela to Cuba.  Enough of unjust and arrogant sanctions. Cuba won't surrender to the contemptuous imperial attacks.  We shall overcome."

For his part, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla also voiced his rejection on Twitter, denouncing the new illicit and unconventional action taken by the U.S. government aimed at depriving Cuba of oil supplies.

"Those are gangsterish threats and punishment practices against legitimate commercial relations among sovereign States.  Cuba will keep on struggling," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that six PDVSA-owned vessels, used to ship oil to Cuba, would be blacklisted because they were being used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to transport oil to Cuba.

The State Department said the vessels' actions were violating existing sanctions that are "intended to prevent the theft of Venezuela's natural resources for corrupt purposes."

In concluding, the statement said that the United States would continue to promote accountability for Cuba's actions in Venezuela while reiterating support for its puppet Juan Guaido.