Richard Tur, the Cuban diplomat expelled by the U.S. after a UN altercation, returns to Havana

October 31, 2026

Richard Tur de la Concepción, first secretary of Cuba's mission to the United Nations, arrived in Havana on Thursday, October 29, after the United States ordered him to leave the country, EFE and Martí Noticias reported. The expulsion came a day after a tense exchange between Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz during the General Assembly debate on Cuba's resolution against the embargo.

According to Washington, Tur tried to push away the phone of J. P. Freire, a member of the U.S. delegation who was filming him in the Assembly hall. Waltz said on Fox News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the expulsion papers, and the State Department later confirmed the diplomat had left the United States.

Cuba's mission gave a different account. In a letter dated October 27, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón accused Freire of harassing Tur, invading his personal space and continuing to film him despite his objections, and asked the UN's security and legal offices to step in. At José Martí airport, First Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Peñalver welcomed Tur and said he had acted "with dignity and firmness." Peñalver added that the expulsion hurt Tur's candidacy for the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.

Cuba's resolution against the embargo, presented for the 34th time, passed on October 28 with 130 votes in favor, 17 against and 25 abstentions, according to the UN press office.