Listen to this articleDear 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. U.S. and Cuban officials got into a surprising shouting match on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the latest in a series of public disputes between the former adversaries over Washington’s escalating economic campaign against Havana. The interaction began shortly after US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz took the podium to oppose support for this week’s annual resolution condemning the decades-long US economic embargo against the island country. As Waltz detailed years of alleged corruption by the socialist government, members of the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, began banging on the designated table and shouting for a point of order. Then, as U.N. officials tried to diffuse the outbursts, Rodríguez Parrilla walked down the hallway to the president of the General Assembly and yelled at Waltz: “You’re a liar!” Waltz responded: “Do you understand who you’re dealing with? This is America. Back off.” SEE | The confrontation at the UN: shouts erupt over the UN embargo vote as US and Cuban officials clash. While the moment represented a shocking break with traditional U.N. diplomatic decorum, it perfectly captured the growing tensions between Cuba and the United States as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to force changes in Cuba’s political system by ramping up its already tough economic campaign. The Caribbean country, already facing the dire impact of long-standing economic and financial problems, is now being pushed to breaking point after Trump announced in late January that he would impose tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba. The warning has effectively cut off fuel supplies to the island, causing widespread power outages affecting basic activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone services. Cuban officials have also repeatedly emphasized that while U.S. officials demand that Cuba open up to private investment, Washington continues to pile on sanctions that hinder the economic opening it has sought for decades. A woman walks past a puddle of sewage on a Havana street as water and electricity shortages threaten health and hygiene in the island nation. (Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters) Tuesday’s outbursts came a week after a similar interaction between Waltz and his Cuban counterpart, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, outside a U.S.-hosted panel with dissidents and former Cuban prisoners that sought to highlight accusations of oppressive behavior by the island’s government. Waltz and other US officials have been using these public events and meetings at the world body to try to persuade UN member states to vote on Wednesday against the annual resolution, which aims to denounce the US government’s “maximum pressure policy” against Cuba. Over the past 34 years, the resolution has received overwhelming support. Last year, the vote was 165 to 7 with 12 abstentions. Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary opposed the measure for the first time. Canada has consistently voted in favor of the annual resolution. Earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada announced it would provide $5.5 million in new support to Cubans, following $8 million it provided in February in accelerated funding to help increase food aid to the nation. While such resolutions are not legally binding, they reflect world opinion.
