The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, warned the Cuban regime this Wednesday, October 28, that there will be consequences if they attack a U.S. diplomat within the UN again, during the General Assembly debate on the embargo against Cuba.
“If you lay a hand on a U.S. diplomat in this organization, there will be consequences,” declared Waltz in his address to the General Assembly.
The warning came a day after the confrontation between both delegations, which occurred on Tuesday, October 27, when Richard Tur de la Concepción, the first secretary of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the UN, was accused of attempting to snatch the phone from and assaulting the U.S. spokesperson J.P. Freire while he was recording a confrontation.
On Tuesday night, Waltz had already announced in a television interview that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the documentation to expel the Cuban diplomat, who was required to leave the United States within 24 hours.
During his speech on Wednesday before the General Assembly, Waltz reiterated his remarks about the incident and stated that the Cuban official would be sent back to Havana that same day. He also asserted that the official's conduct violated the provisions of the host country agreement that regulates the presence of diplomatic missions at the UN.
Waltz questions the privileges of the Cuban elite
In his speech on Wednesday, Waltz revisited three questions he had posed on Tuesday at the UN regarding the privileges of Cuban leaders, the finances of the military conglomerate GAESA, and the working conditions of doctors sent on international missions.
The ambassador questioned why the Cuban leaders enjoy Rolex watches, yachts, mansions, and even private islands while the population faces blackouts and shortages of food and medicine. He also asked why GAESA accumulates billions of dollars while hospitals lack medicines.
Waltz assured that during the first eight months of 2026, American companies exported goods worth 876 million dollars to Cuba, including "a quarter of a billion dollars in fuel," equivalent to about 250 million dollars.
According to the diplomat, the United States has become the main fuel supplier for the Cuban private sector, something that, in his opinion, contradicts the official rhetoric from Havana regarding trade restrictions.
Waltz stated that he would prefer to see that fuel reach Cuban farmers and citizens, rather than being used in "the luxurious yachts of the Castro family."
Bruno Rodríguez demands the expulsion of a Cuban opposition member
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla rejected the U.S. accusations and denounced before the Assembly what he termed the "disrespectful and provocative attitude" of the Washington delegation.
Rodríguez accused U.S. officials of harassing and recording members of his delegation without consent during Tuesday's incident.
He also demanded the expulsion of the opposition figure Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, who was present in the gallery as a guest of the U.S. mission and is included by the Cuban government on its list of individuals wanted for alleged acts of terrorism.
Gutiérrez-Boronat responded on Facebook: "The chancellor of the dictatorship is asking for my expulsion from the United Nations, what pride. Cuba will be free."
The confrontation coincided with a significant decline in international support for the Cuban resolution against the embargo, which was approved on Wednesday with 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions.
The initiative lost 35 supporters compared to 2025 and recorded its most unfavorable result since it began to be presented in 1992.
Despite the decline in favorable votes, the Cuban Foreign Ministry celebrated the approval as a "victory for Cuba", while Washington continued to hold the Havana government accountable for the economic hardships faced by the population.
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