By Patrick Oppmann, CNN
Havana, Cuba (CNN) — Mandy Pruna remembers with a nostalgia-filled grin the influx of American travelers that came to Cuba after then-US President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with the island in 2015.
Pruna and his bright red 1957 Chevrolet were in constant demand and he says countless visitors including celebrities like Will Smith, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian paid princely sums – at least for Cuba – to go on classic car tours with him.
His Chevy was one of three vintage American automobiles that US diplomats selected to be in the background for the flag raising ceremony at the US Embassy in Havana that marked the official restoration of ties between the two countries following decades of bitter animosity.
“All sectors of society benefited from that,” Pruna said, referring to the brief improvement in relations. “You saw people painting their houses, opening new businesses. For me it was fantastic. It was the best era for tourism in Cuba.”
Now, Cuba may be experiencing the most profound moment of economic uncertainty that the island’s residents have endured in decades if not over their entire lives.
Through military action in Venezuela and threats of tariffs on Mexico, the Trump administration has shut off the flow of oil to Cuba, attempting to strong-arm the communist-run island into making significant political and economic reforms.
Cuba does not appear to have any remaining allies willing to supply the hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of fuel needed to power the economy.
What oil the island has left is running out.
The twin loss of fuel and tourists for people like Pruna has been catastrophic.
“I need gas to be able to work, I need tourists to be able to work,” he said.
As the crisis drags on, life is slowly grinding to a halt across this island of nearly 10 million people.
Classes have been suspended at many schools and workers furloughed to save energy. Near vacant hotels have been shuttered and flights from Russia and Canada canceled as there is not enough jet fuel on the island for longer international flights.
The UK and Canada have warned citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Cuba.
Last week, organizers canceled the yearly Habanos cigar festival that brings in millions of dollars of revenue. Sherrit International on Tuesday announced that the company is pausing nickel and cobalt mining operations in Cuba amid the fuel crunch.
Many government-run hospitals have cut services and a lack of fuel and working dump trucks has caused trash to pile up across whole neighborhoods.
On nearly every street corner, conversations center on when power cuts are taking place and for how long. At night in Havana, the stars are often clearly visible as most of the city is swathed in near total darkness.
The Trump administration says the Cuban government needs to finally open the island’s centralized economy before it collapses.
“There’s no oil, there’s no money, there’s no anything,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Monday, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading efforts to negotiate with top Cuban officials.
Rubio, who is Cuban American and a longtime opponent of the Cuban government, has previously said the only thing he intends to discuss with the island’s communist leadership is when they would relinquish power.
“This is a regime that has survived almost entirely on subsidies – first from the Soviet Union, then from (former Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez,” Rubio said last we