UN Chaos: US Envoy Shouts 'Back Up' at Cuban Minister After Rolex Photo

A shouting match erupted on the floor of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday after US Ambassador Mike Waltz displayed photos of Cuban leaders wearing expensive watches. According to the New York Post ^[1], Waltz accused the Havana government of enriching itself through the forced labor of its citizens while confiscating property and savings. The confrontation escalated when Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla charged toward the podium, prompting Waltz to shout, "Back up!"

The Daily Mail reported ^[2] that the scene turned physical when a member of the Cuban delegation lunged at Waltz’s spokesman, J.P. Freire, trying to grab the iPhone Freire was using to record the exchange. Waltz told the assembly that Parrilla was trying to intimidate him just as the regime intimidates political prisoners. "He doesn't like hard truths," Waltz said, according to the New York Post ^[1].

To illustrate his point about "corrupt Cuban elites," Waltz held up an image of late dictator Fidel Castro wearing two Rolex watches worth approximately $40,000. He noted that the cost equaled 55 years of an average Cuban wage, per the regime's own statistics. He then showed a photo of current President Miguel Díaz-Canel wearing a Rolex, stating, "It didn't just start with Castro." Waltz also highlighted the military-run conglomerate GAESA, claiming it holds $18 billion in assets, and showcased the Castro family's private island, Cayo Piedra.

The clash occurred as Waltz urged delegates to vote against a resolution condemning US sanctions. He argued that the US is actually Cuba's largest single fuel supplier to its private sector, debunking the narrative of a blockade. "A blockade is a ring of military ships around an island. It doesn't exist," Waltz stated. The New York Post ^[1] noted that Waltz emphasized that Cuban wealth did not vanish but changed hands from the people to the elites.

Cuban Embassy diplomat David Ramirez Alvarez responded on X, calling Waltz a "disgrace to what it means to be a diplomat" and comparing his behavior to a character from the film Idiocracy. The incident reflects rapidly deteriorating relations between Washington and Havana, as the Trump administration increases pressure on the communist island. President Trump has previously joked about naval vessels stopping off the Cuban coast, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has encouraged Cuban dissidents to partner with American intelligence to dismantle the regime from within, the Daily Mail noted ^[2].