Cuban Diplomat Expelled From US After UN Confrontation
US Ambassador Mike Waltz announces decision following an incident where a Cuban delegate allegedly lunged at his aide.
A Cuban diplomat is being expelled from the United States following a heated exchange at the United Nations where he allegedly attempted to snatch an iPhone from a US ambassador's aide. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz announced Tuesday evening that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed the paperwork for the diplomat's removal.
"He's gone. He is going to be on a plane to Havana within the next 24 hours," Waltz stated on Fox News. He accused the Cuban delegate, identified as Richard Tur de la Concepcion, of shoving and attempting to assault an American diplomat.
"You lay a hand on an American here in the United States, President Trump, Secretary Rubio and myself, we're not gonna stand for it," Waltz added.
The confrontation occurred earlier on Tuesday when Waltz presented photos of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and current Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, both seen wearing Rolex watches. Waltz pointed out that the value of the watches, estimated at $40,000 for Castro's, would equate to 55 years of an average Cuban's wages, according to the regime's own statistics.
Following Waltz's remarks about "corrupt Cuban elites," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla reportedly approached the podium aggressively, calling Waltz a liar. In response, Waltz instructed Parrilla to "Back up!" and stated that Parrilla would not intimidate him in the United States as he allegedly does with political prisoners in Cuba.
The incident escalated when Tur de la Concepcion allegedly lunged at Waltz's spokesman, JP Freire, attempting to seize the iPhone Freire was using to record the proceedings. This physical altercation prompted the subsequent expulsion order.
