The United States expelled a Cuban diplomat after Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez interrupted and shouted at US Ambassador Mike Waltz during a UN debate on the Cuba embargo, with Waltz saying the official tried to assault an American diplomat.
The United States expelled a Cuban diplomat after a shouting match on the floor of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday during the annual debate on the US embargo.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz said Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the expulsion order for the first secretary of Cuba's delegation, identified in reporting as Richard Tur de la Concepción, after the official allegedly shoved and tried to assault an American diplomat who was filming. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez walked toward the podium and called Waltz a liar as the US ambassador criticised the Cuban leadership.
Waltz told Fox News the diplomat would be on a plane to Havana within 24 hours, saying the United States would not tolerate hands laid on American personnel. Cuban officials described the episode differently in a letter to the UN secretary-general.
The Wall Street Journal, The Times and Newsweek reported the expulsion announcement and the core sequence of the interruption and confrontation from video and statements by both sides. The precise identity of the expelled official and the final departure details rest on Waltz's account and subsequent reporting.
The incident occurs against the backdrop of longstanding US-Cuba tensions and the annual UN vote on the embargo. With the diplomat ordered out and both governments framing the clash differently, the next step is whether Havana responds formally or the episode fades into the usual diplomatic friction.
People Sentiments Public Mood: Neutral
- Waltz: He’s gone. He is going to be on a plane to Havana
- Rodríguez: You are a liar