New York, New York - The US has expelled a Cuban diplomat following a heated exchange at the United Nations as the Trump administration continues its devastating energy blockade.
The man was a member of the delegation to the United Nations, a Cuban diplomat said.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said earlier in an interview that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the expulsion of a man who had "pushed" a US diplomat and tried to attack him.
The confrontation at the United Nations came on Tuesday. During a session on an annual resolution against the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, representatives of the island nation loudly protested Waltz's speech and interrupted him.
Videos show the now-expelled diplomat apparently trying to prevent a person from filming him.
In a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres, the Cuban side described the situation and said the diplomat had been pressured by a US representative.
In his speech at the podium, Waltz had sharply criticized Cuba's leadership dating back to revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez moved toward the lectern, whereupon Waltz addressed him with phrases including: "This isn't your communist dictatorship" and "This is America. Back up!"
The second Trump administration has significantly increased pressure on Cuba with a brutal energy blockade, leading to severe shortages of food, medicines, fuel, and other necessities.
The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution in favor of ending the US embargo on Cuba, with 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions.