UNITED NATIONS — US and Cuban officials engaged in a stunning shouting match on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, as Washington escalates its economic campaign against Havana ahead of Wednesday's vote on the annual resolution condemning the US embargo on Cuba.
The clash began shortly after US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz took the podium to argue against the resolution, detailing what he described as years of corruption by Cuba's socialist government — allegations Havana denies. Members of the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, began slamming their table and yelling for a point of order, AP reported. Rodríguez then walked down the aisle to the head of the General Assembly and shouted at Waltz: "You are a liar!"
Waltz shot back: "You understand who you're dealing with? This is America. Back up." In AP's fuller account, he also said: "This individual needs to back away from this podium. He's not going to intimidate me in the United States of America." Aju Press reported that General Assembly President Halilrahman Qadir called for order from both sides and suspended the meeting as the uproar continued, and that Rodríguez accused Waltz of "ridiculous lies" that undermined the dignity of the assembly.
Source: Aju Press, Oct 28, 2026 — U.S. and Cuba Clash at UN General Assembly Over Embargo Resolution
In a post on X, Rodríguez reminded Waltz where he was speaking, saying he was at the UN, not at a national security meeting at the White House. "With his crude lies at the UN General Assembly, the US government has launched another desperate attempt to justify its economic aggression against Cuba and its criminal energy blockade," he wrote, in remarks reported by AP.
Tuesday's outburst was the second public confrontation in a week: a similar interaction between Waltz and Cuba's ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán took place outside a US-hosted panel with Cuban dissidents and former prisoners, AP reported. Waltz and other US officials have been using such events at the world body to press member states to vote against the resolution on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether Washington's overt campaign will produce more opposition or abstentions than usual, including among Western allies.
AP reported that President Donald Trump announced in late January that he would impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The warning has effectively cut off fuel to the island, leading to widespread power outages affecting cooking, the water supply and internet and telephone services. Last week Trump again raised the spectre of US military intervention, saying US warships could stop over in Cuba on their way back from the Iran war.
The US embargo was first imposed in 1960, after Fidel Castro led a revolution that toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista and nationalised properties belonging to US citizens and corporations, AP reported. Last year, Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary opposed the resolution for the first time, joining the small minority against it. The General Assembly is set to vote on Wednesday; Awaaz Punjab will report the result when it is announced.