‘He’s gone’: Cuban official to be expelled from US after alleged assault on American diplomat

WASHINGTON, DC: Cuban diplomat Richard Tur de la Concepcion is expected to be expelled from the US following an alleged confrontation with an American diplomat during Mike Waltz’s heated exchange with Cuba’s foreign minister at the United Nations.

US Ambassador to the UN Waltz confirmed the decision, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the paperwork to expel the Cuban official.

The announcement followed an incident on Tuesday, October 27, when Tur de la Concepcion allegedly pushed away the phone of US diplomat JP Freire as he recorded the exchange.

Richard Tur de la Concepcion faces US expulsion

Waltz confirmed the planned expulsion during an appearance on Fox News’ ‘Hannity’, accusing Tur de la Concepcion of having “shoved and tried to assault” a member of the American delegation.

“He’s gone. He’s going to be on a plane to Havana within the next 24 hours,” Waltz said, adding that the Trump administration would not tolerate anyone laying a hand on an American in the United States.

The Cuban official, identified by Cuban media as Richard Tur de la Concepcion, serves as the first secretary of Cuba’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

The incident took place in the General Assembly Hall during Waltz’s exchange with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

According to the account, Tur de la Concepcion appeared to reach for Freire’s phone before pushing it away and accusing the American diplomat of “violating [his] personal space.”

Waltz later shared footage of the incident on X. The US ambassador said the Cuban delegation had reacted strongly to his remarks and accused its members of trying to disrupt his speech.

Mike Waltz accuses Cuba of UN propaganda

The confrontation unfolded as Waltz criticized the Cuban government over its treatment of citizens and handling of the country’s economy.

He accused the Cuban delegation of using the UN as a “propaganda platform to paint themselves as the victim.” Waltz also rejected Cuba’s description of the US economic embargo as a blockade, arguing that the term did not accurately describe the restrictions.

“They spew lies, they spew propaganda,” Waltz said during his appearance on ‘Hannity.’

He added that the Cuban government blamed the US blockade for the country’s difficulties, calling the claim “an absolute lie.”

Waltz said his remarks about the Cuban government and its alleged use of forced labor had triggered what he described as a “meltdown” among the delegation. He defended his approach, saying he wanted to counter communist propaganda with what he called “hard truths.”

“They didn't like hearing those hard truths,” Waltz told host Sean Hannity.

The ambassador added that the administration intended to show the world what he described as the failures of communism.

Mike Waltz criticizes Cuban leaders’ Rolex watches

During his speech, Waltz also targeted what he described as the wealth of Cuba’s political elite.

He held up a photograph of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro wearing two Rolex watches, which Waltz said would be worth around $40,000 in today’s currency.

“According to the regime's own statistics, that would pay for 55 years of an average Cuban wage,” Waltz said.

He then displayed a photograph of Cuba’s current president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, wearing a Rolex watch, arguing that the alleged display of luxury among the country’s leaders was not limited to Castro’s time in power.

“It didn't just start with Castro. This is the current Cuban president, also with a Rolex on,” he said.

Waltz later wrote on X that the Castro regime had profited at the expense of the Cuban people through luxury cars, expensive watches and a private island resort.

He also claimed that members of the Cuban delegation had rushed toward the stage to interrupt his speech. Waltz warned that while Cuban authorities might intimidate people in their own country, he would not tolerate similar behavior in the United States.

Cuba’s foreign minister condemns US embargo claims

Rodriguez Parrilla pushed back against Waltz’s remarks, accusing Washington of spreading lies and criticizing what he described as the ambassador’s “arrogance and hubris.”

In a post on X, the Cuban foreign minister claimed that the US government had used “crude lies” at the General Assembly in an attempt to justify its economic restrictions on Cuba.

The dispute comes as the UN prepares to vote on a resolution condemning the US economic embargo against the Caribbean island. The vote, scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, continues a tradition that began in 1992.

At the first vote, 59 countries supported the resolution. Last year, 165 countries voted in favor.