US Expels Cuban Diplomat After Heated UN Clash Over Communist Rule

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

NEW YORK/HAVANA (Worthy News) – A Cuban diplomat was back home Friday after being expelled from the United States following an extraordinary clash at the United Nations over Cuba’s communist leadership, during which security personnel watched closely as tensions threatened to turn physical.

Richard Tur de la Concepción, a first secretary at Cuba’s mission to the United Nations, was ordered to leave the United States after a heated exchange between U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Tensions erupted Tuesday when Waltz criticized Cuba’s communist government over political repression and corruption during a debate on Washington’s decades-old economic embargo against the Caribbean island nation.

Waltz accused the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s government of sending thousands of gay people, Christians, Afro-Cubans and others to concentration camps, where detainees were subjected to forced labor and had their property confiscated.

He also accused Cuba’s current authorities of imprisoning political opponents, claiming that more than 800 political prisoners remained behind bars, including priests, artists, students and parents.

HEATED UN CLASH

Rodríguez and other members of the Cuban delegation reacted angrily to Waltz’s remarks, banging on their desks and shouting objections as the foreign minister approached the assembly’s leadership to challenge the American ambassador.

“This is America. Back up!” Waltz shouted during the dispute, accusing Cuban representatives of trying to intimidate him and prevent him from speaking.

Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, who was presiding over the General Assembly meeting, repeatedly struck his gavel and appealed for calm as the exchange escalated.

Rahman urged the Cuban delegation to return to its seats and allow Waltz to finish his speech, promising that Rodríguez would have an opportunity to raise a procedural objection afterward.

When his appeals failed, Rahman temporarily suspended the meeting. Proceedings later resumed, with Rodríguez accusing Waltz of lying and insulting Cuba’s government and people.

CUBAN DIPLOMAT EXPELLED

Separate video footage reviewed by Worthy News showed Tur de la Concepción swatting at a mobile phone held by J.P. Freire, a communications official with the U.S. mission, who was recording the incident.

Waltz accused the Cuban diplomat of pushing and attempting to assault an American official. He also alleged that Cuban representatives had tried to pressure U.N. personnel into cutting off his microphone.

Tur de la Concepción maintained that the American official had invaded his personal space, while Cuba’s U.N. ambassador lodged a complaint accusing the U.S. representative of harassment.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio authorized Tur de la Concepción’s expulsion, and the State Department subsequently confirmed that he had left the country. Rodríguez, who was involved in the dispute, was not expelled.

After returning to Havana on Thursday, Tur de la Concepción was welcomed by senior Foreign Ministry officials. He thanked colleagues for their support and condemned what he described as American arrogance and intimidation.

CUBA’S CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

Cuban human rights activists and refugees have also raised concerns over abuses under communist rule, including the persecution of Christians.

Cuba ranks 24th on the 2026 World Watch List published by the Christian advocacy group Open Doors, which identifies the 50 countries where it says Christians face the most severe persecution.

According to Open Doors, Christian leaders and activists who criticize the communist government face harassment, arbitrary arrests, imprisonment and restrictions on religious activities. Authorities also routinely deny registration to new churches, leaving some congregations vulnerable to fines, closures and confiscation of property, Worthy News reported over the years.

The diplomatic clash underscored worsening relations between Washington and Havana as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration increases economic and diplomatic pressure on Cuba’s communist government.

Washington accuses Cuban authorities of political repression and corruption, while Havana maintains that American sanctions are responsible for much of the island’s deepening economic hardship.

ISLAND’S HIDDEN WEALTH

Waltz rejected Cuba’s argument that its economic difficulties were primarily caused by the U.S. embargo, accusing the communist leadership of enriching itself while ordinary Cubans struggled with food shortages and electricity blackouts.

During his speech, the ambassador displayed photographs of luxury watches, seaside mansions, yachts and a private island allegedly used by Cuba’s ruling elite. He also showed an image of Fidel Castro wearing two Rolex watches, which Waltz estimated were worth $40,000.

Waltz pointed to an investigation by the Miami Herald newspaper into GAESA, Cuba’s military-controlled business conglomerate, which revealed financial records showing about $18 billion in assets, including approximately $14.5 billion held in financial accounts as of March 2024. He argued that those resources could pay Cuban salaries for two years, stock pharmacies for more than 40 years or purchase 900 million sacks of rice.

The ambassador contrasted that wealth with the hardships facing ordinary Cubans, whose hospitals struggle with shortages of medicine and electricity. He blamed authorities for keeping the lights on in properties used by the ruling elite while much of the population endured prolonged blackouts.

“There is no blockade,” Waltz told delegates, referring to more than $876 million in American exports to Cuba during the first eight months of 2026, including $230 million in fuel for eligible private businesses.

US MILITARY ACTION

He maintained that Cuba’s economic crisis was largely the result of government corruption and mismanagement rather than American sanctions. Havana rejected those accusations, arguing that Washington’s restrictions on trade, financing and fuel supplies had severely damaged the economy.

Growing tensions have also raised concerns about possible American military intervention in Cuba, after U.S. officials said the Pentagon had examined options for operations against the communist-ruled island.

Those options included a possible Army-led air assault involving thousands of American troops, according to a July investigation by CBS News. In September, the broadcaster also reported that military planners were examining the potential availability of military police, medical personnel and logistical support units.

However, officials stressed that the planning did not mean Trump or the Pentagon had decided to launch an operation, and no deployment orders were reported.

Trump has previously raised the possibility of American control over Cuba while also suggesting that Washington and Havana could reach an agreement. Cuban authorities have warned that they would resist any American military attack.

UN EMBARGO VOTE

Amid the diplomatic tensions, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly adopted a nonbinding resolution Wednesday urging the United States to end its decades-old economic embargo against Cuba.

The measure passed with 130 countries voting in favor, 17 against and 25 abstaining, compared with 165 in favor, seven against and 12 abstentions the previous year, marking a sharp decline in international support for Havana’s position.

Germany and Italy were among countries that abstained, while the United States and Israel voted against the resolution.

Waltz welcomed the changing voting pattern, arguing that Washington’s diplomatic efforts were persuading more governments to reconsider their positions.

Although the annual resolution carries political significance, it is not legally binding, and lifting the embargo in full would require action by the U.S. Congress.

For ordinary Cubans, the diplomatic dispute comes amid severe fuel shortages, widespread electricity outages and mounting economic difficulties that have impacted daily life across the troubled island.