Confirmation has been given by the Ambassador that a Cuban official accused of attempting to physically confront an American diplomat during a dispute involving Mike Waltz and Havana’s foreign minister will be expelled from the United States.
The individual, reported by Cuban media as Richard Tur de la Concepción, allegedly seized US diplomat J.P. Freire’s phone while he was recording Waltz’s argument with Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla during a session of the UN’s General Assembly Hall on Tuesday.
Tur de la Concepción, who serves as the First Secretary of Cuba’s Permanent Mission to the UN, reportedly waved his finger and pushed Freire’s phone aside, accusing him of invading his personal space, as seen in video footage shared by Waltz.
Waltz spoke on Fox News’ “Hannity,” asserting that this Cuban official “shoved and attempted to assault” a member of the American delegation, pointing out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had already approved his removal from the country.
“He’s gone. He’s going to be on a plane to Havana within the next 24 hours. You lay a hand on an American here in the United States, President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and myself – we’re not going to stand for it,” Waltz stated.
Waltz accused the Cuban delegation of using the UN as a “propaganda platform to portray themselves as victims,” coinciding with a vote on a resolution that condemns the US economic embargo on Cuba. “They spit out lies and propaganda,” he complained. “They blame a nonexistent blockade, which is essentially a fleet of navy ships preventing anything from coming in or out. It’s all just a complete falsehood.”
His remarks, where he condemned the Cuban government for exploiting its citizens through forced labor, apparently led to a “meltdown” among the Cuban representatives, but he viewed it as a necessary counter to communist narratives with “hard truths.”
“They didn’t appreciate hearing those harsh realities,” he recounted to Sean Hannity. “They are accustomed to the propaganda in communist Havana, but under our administration, we are determined to reveal the damages and failures of communism.”
Waltz criticized “corrupt Cuban elites” and, to drive his point home, displayed a photograph of the late Fidel Castro adorned with two Rolex watches, worth around $40,000 today. “According to the regime’s own figures, that could cover 55 years of an average Cuban salary,” he asserted.
He then showcased an image of Cuba’s current president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, also wearing a Rolex watch. “It’s not just Castro. Here’s the current president flaunting one too,” he noted.
Waltz condemned the extravagant lifestyle of the Castro family against the backdrop of widespread hardship faced by ordinary Cubans. “The Castro regime has thrived while exploiting the Cuban people, living lavishly with luxury cars, expensive watches, and a private island getaway,” he expressed on social media. “As I conveyed this to the world, regime thugs rushed the stage to disrupt my speech. They can intimidate their own citizens in Cuba, but they should think twice about trying that here in the United States.”
In response, Rodríguez Parrilla accused the US of continually spreading falsehoods, branding Waltz’s actions as indicative of “arrogance and hubris.”
He claimed, “The US government, through its blatant lies at the UN General Assembly, has engaged in a new desperate effort to rationalize its economic aggression against Cuba and its criminal energy blockade.”
The UN is set to vote on a resolution condemning the economic embargo on Cuba Wednesday, a ritual that has occurred annually for the past 34 years, with the initial vote taking place in 1992—59 countries were in favor at that time, while last year, the motion garnered support from 165 nations.
