Waltz Accuses Havana of Lying as U.S.-Cuba Clashes at U.N.

A loud dispute erupted during a United Nations General Assembly session on Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz faced off against Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla regarding the annual vote on the American embargo. Waltz urged member states to vote against the resolution that Havana submits to end U.S. restrictions. He argued that Cuba is using the vote to claim international support while threatening other nations with reprisals.

Waltz rejected the concept of a blockade, defining it as a military naval encirclement that does not exist around the island. He cited data showing that U.S. companies exported more than $876 million in goods to Cuba during the first eight months of the year. He also pointed to other nations and organizations shipping cargo to the island.

The Cuban delegation reacted with visible force. Members of the group began banging on their desks and interrupting Waltz's speech. Rodríguez Parrilla then shouted at the assembly president, demanding order from the U.S. representative. The assembly president threatened to suspend the session after the repeated disruptions.

Waltz continued his remarks despite the interruptions. He asked delegates to imagine the scene if such questions were posed in Havana, suggesting that the intimidation seen in the assembly hall would be even worse for those in the capital. He also criticized the late Fidel Castro, accusing the former leader of sending thousands of homosexuals, Christians, and Afro-Cubans to concentration camps.

Rodríguez Parrilla accused Waltz of lying shamelessly and maintaining an indecent attitude. The Cuban minister stated that Waltz's performance in the United Nations leaves much to be desired. He later took to the social platform X to accuse the U.S. government of lying grossly and permanently. He also criticized Waltz's arrogance, noting that the ambassador forgets he is in the United Nations, not the U.S. National Security Council or a Green Beret unit.

Waltz has a background that spans the military and Congress. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and served 27 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel. He served as a special forces officer in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa, receiving four Bronze Stars for combat actions. He later worked at the Pentagon as director of defense policy for two secretaries of defense.

In 2018, Waltz became the first Green Beret elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Florida and chaired the military readiness subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee. Before joining the Trump administration as National Security Advisor, he worked in the private sector as a partner and CEO of Metis Solutions. That company provided training and analysis to the U.S. government and its allies, employing more than 400 people under his leadership.