Bruno Rodríguez and Mike Waltz clash at the UN during Cuba embargo debate

October 28, 2026

The UN General Assembly's annual debate on Cuba's resolution against the U.S. embargo, which Havana calls a blockade, saw a tense exchange on October 27 between Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz. According to UN News and AFP, Rodríguez raised a point of order during Waltz's remarks and approached the podium, prompting a brief suspension of the session. Waltz replied that he would not be silenced; Rodríguez told him "you are a liar" and, according to Cubadebate, advised him to read up on the text he was delivering.

In his speech, Waltz argued that "there is no blockade" and cited more than $876 million in U.S. exports to Cuba during the first eight months of 2026. Rodríguez, for his part, defended Cuba's report putting the embargo's damage at $8.083 billion between March 2025 and February 2026, and at $178.7 billion cumulatively.

The clash came alongside another diplomatic dispute. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the expulsion of the Cuban mission's first secretary, Richard Tur de la Concepción, whom Waltz accused on Fox News of shoving and trying to assault a member of the U.S. delegation, J.P. Freire, as reported by 14ymedio and other outlets. Earlier, the Cuban mission had sent the UN a letter accusing Freire of harassing the diplomat and filming him without consent.

The vote on the resolution, the 34th Cuba has brought to the Assembly, was scheduled for October 28. In 2025 the text received 165 votes in favor, 7 against and 12 abstentions.