US Envoy and Cuban Foreign Minister Clash at UN in Heated Exchange

Tensions flared at the United Nations on Tuesday when U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla engaged in a shouting match during the UN's annual debate on the U.S. blockade against Cuba.

Waltz, the Trump administration's envoy to the UN, began his remarks with criticism of the Cuban regime. Shortly after he took the podium, Rodríguez Parrilla and the Cuban delegation began interrupting, shouting and gesturing from the audience. The president of the assembly attempted to restore order by banging a gavel and asking for quiet, but the disruptions continued.

"I hope everyone, Mr. President, is listening to the delegation right now," Waltz stated, a smile on his face. "Imagine what happens when someone ask these questions in Havana, not in a room of ambassadors and cameras! Imagine what happens to those people if this is the intimidation and disruption that we see!"

The exchange escalated, with Waltz declaring, "This is America, this is the United Nations, this isn't your communist dictatorship. You can't silence me or you cannot silence my colleagues!"

Rodríguez Parrilla then approached the front of the hall, prompting Waltz to yell at the assembly president, "Mr. President, this individual needs to back away from this podium. He's not going to intimidate me in the United States of America! I'm the representative of the United States of America! Back up!"

The assembly president suspended the meeting. After reviewing the UN's rules, the president allowed Rodríguez Parrilla to make a point of order, on the condition that his remarks focus on procedure rather than the substance of Waltz's speech.

Rodríguez Parrilla returned to his seat and accused Waltz of "grossly lying." Waltz concluded his speech without further major incident, urging the chamber to vote against the resolution under consideration.

Following the event, Rodríguez Parrilla posted on X, criticizing Waltz's "arrogance and hubris" and suggesting he forgets he is at the UN, not in a setting where he can display "incompetence and incapacity."

Waltz, a former Green Beret, previously faced scrutiny for inadvertently sharing sensitive information with a journalist during his tenure as national security adviser. He was nominated to the UN post by President Donald Trump.