Regime officials in Cuba staged a warm welcome on Thursday for Richard Tur, a former member of the country’s United Nations delegation who was expelled from America this week after attacking U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz’s spokes
man.
The altercation occurred in the context of one of several attempts by the communist delegation to disrupt Ambassador Waltz and other speakers denouncing human rights abuses and corruption by the Cuban regime at the United Nations this month in anticipation of a symbolic annual vote to condemn the alleged American “embargo” on Cuba.
Cuban “diplomats” staged several attempts at “acts of repudiation,” mob scenes commonly used on the island to harass and humiliate political dissidents, including one on the floor of the General Assembly. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez participated in these acts of repudiation, attempting to shout down Ambassador Waltz while he spoke at the General Assembly podium, but Tur was the only one caught on camera engaging in an active assault of a member of the American delegation, Waltz spokesman J.P. Freire.
Freire shared a video on Tuesday of Tur approaching him at the General Assembly and attempting to snatch his phone out of his hand.
“The Castro regime once again sought to intimidate clerks into cutting off [Waltz’s] mic for showing the world the dictatorship's hypocrisy and wealth at the expense of the Cuban people,” he explained, referring to the ambassador’s address before the General Assembly. “After this guy went after me for recording him in the U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY, this violent foreign Leftist said that if I did this in NYC streets he would have the right to sue me as violating his PRIVACY.”
The Castro regime once again sought to intimidate clerks into cutting off @USAmbUN’s mic for showing the world the dictatorship’s hypocrisy and wealth at the expense of the Cuban people.
— J.P. Freire (@JPFreire) October 27, 2026
After this guy went after me for recording him in the UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, this violent… https://t.co/T8fmR8RISJ pic.twitter.com/RssyDKAXV3
“1. His own team was recording throughout the chamber. Strange to think he felt I was violating his privacy. 2. As the Cuban mission attempts to silence criticism of the Castro regime's abuse and wealth, they want to avail themselves of American rights they don't even understand,” he concluded.
Waltz confirmed on television on Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had approved the expulsion of Tur from the country for the attack.
“Just before I came on tonight, Secretary Rubio signed the paperwork to eject the diplomat that thought he could — the Cuban diplomat, the first secretary of their delegation, who shoved and tried to assault one of our American diplomats. He's gone,” he explained. “You lay a hand on an American here in the United States, President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and myself, we're not going to stand for it. There will be consequences."
First Viceminister Gerardo Peñalver Portal of Cuba’s Ministry of External Relations (Minrex) confirmed Tur’s return home, treating him as a hero who valiantly stood up against American imperialism and notably omitting any mention of his physical attack.
“We received in the nation the young diplomat… who in a firm and dignified manner faced the disrespectful and provocative attitude of the U.S. delegation,” Peñalver claimed, sharing a photo on social media of a group of regime officials welcoming Tur home with a large Cuban flag.
(1/2) Recibimos en la patria al joven diplomático de @CubaMINREX, Richard Tur (@ricktur_2013), quien de manera digna y firme enfrentó la actitud irrespetuosa y provocadora de la delegación de EE.UU. en @ONU_es. pic.twitter.com/CeOdb3BDAi
— Gerardo Peñalver Portal (@GerardoPPortal) October 29, 2026
Peñalver accused American officials of engaging in a “strategy to hamper the vote on the resolution against the genocidal blockade and Richard Tur’s candidacy to an important organ of the United Nations.”
The Cuban delegation is attempting to pitch Tur for a position on an administrative body, the Consultative Commission on Administrative and Budgeting Matters, in the 2027 to 2029 term. Denying him entry to the United States would likely make holding such a position more of a challenge, but it is not clear at press time whether his nomination is impacted in any way by the assault incident. Peñalver notably omitted his attack on a fellow diplomat from his effusive welcome message to the junior official.
The independent outlet Diario de Cuba observed in its coverage of the incident that Tur is a member of one of the Castro regime’s most elite families, the son of longtime regime diplomat Ricardo Tur Novo and husband to a fellow member of the Cuban United Nations delegation. Serving as a diplomat abroad allows Castro regime elites to avoid the consequences of their rule, which has plunged Cuba into abject poverty for decades. Since January, following the American arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Cuba has not had access to the free or heavily discounted Venezuelan oil typically used to help the Cuban wealthy fuel their electric generators, which allowed them to avoid living with the routine blackouts in the country as a result of the government’s refusal to engage in any meaningful maintenance of the power grid.
The incidents at the U.N. occurred in anticipation of a vote to condemn the U.S. “embargo” — in reality a series of American economic limitations to keep money out of the Castro regime’s pockets that does not affect access to American food or humanitarian aid. The U.N. has hosted the symbolic vote at the regime’s request since the early 1990s, in previous years securing near unanimous support for condemning America. On Wednesday, Cuba received the smallest number of votes for its resolution. Only 130 countries voted for the resolution, down from 165 countries just a year ago, and a record number either voted against the resolution or abstained from the vote.
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