Watch: Mike Waltz gets into shouting match with Cuban delegation on U.N. floor

On October 27, 2026, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla got into a heated shouting match during the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The confrontation started when Waltz was speaking against supporting Cuba's annual resolution condemning the U.S. embargo. Cuban delegates interrupted him loudly, prompting Waltz to tell them to "back up." The conflict escalated with physical tension as one of Cuba’s diplomats reportedly tried to knock a phone out of a U.S. diplomat's hand and shoved a staff member, leading to the expulsion of Richard Tur de la Concepción from the United States. Cuban officials welcomed Tur back home on October 30, further escalating tensions between the two countries amid Washington's ongoing economic campaign against Cuba, including an oil blockade.