New Delhi, Sept. 4 -- The U.S. government on Thursday slapped new sanctions on Cuba in a fresh push to strangle the island's economy and deepen its multiple crises.

Among those hit with sanctions are Fidel Ernesto Castro, grandson of former President Raul Castro, and Cuba's Oil Industry Supply Import Company, known as Abapet. The company is responsible for importing special equipment and spare parts needed to sustain Cuba's crumbling power grid.

The sanctions aim to push Cuba's critical machinery offline and exacerbate its energy crisis, said Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert and managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, a consulting firm.

"The U.S. is trying to really tighten the screws as much as possible," he said.

"The Trump ...