The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, launched an unprecedented offensive against Cuba's leadership at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He presented photographs, financial data, and visual evidence of the regime's elite enjoying luxury items—such as Rolex watches, Hermès ties, mansions, yachts, and private islands—while urging member countries to reject the annual resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
During the 27th plenary meeting of the 81st session of the General Assembly, the incident became one of the most chaotic episodes in recent memory. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and other delegation members approached the podium where Waltz was speaking, prompting the Assembly President, Khalilur Rahman, to briefly suspend the session.
Waltz began by highlighting that Fidel Castro's two Rolex watches, valued at $40,000, are equivalent—according to the regime's own statistics—to 55 years of the average Cuban salary. He noted that Cuba's current president also sports luxury watches, Hermès ties, and Montblanc pens.
The diplomat displayed images of the Castro family's beach retreat in Varadero, a property sprawling over 14,000 square meters featuring pools, marble floors, a sauna, jacuzzi, and cedar wood imported from the Amazon rainforest.
Waltz went further by revealing that the Castro family owns the private island Cayo Piedra, south of Cuba, equipped with a dock, floating restaurant, luxury guest accommodations, and a dolphin lagoon, along with another island hosting exotic animals and safaris.
He also showed images of a 50-meter yacht cruising the Mediterranean, which requires 15,000 gallons of fuel to fill up, contrasting this with the regime's inability to supply gasoline for ambulances and buses.
"This so-called blockade that supposedly doesn't exist doesn't apply to luxury goods. Somehow, these items reach the Cuban regime's elite," the ambassador stated.
Waltz cited a Miami Herald investigation revealing that GAESA, the Cuban government's military conglomerate, amassed $18 billion in liquid assets and $14 billion in cash in secret accounts—enough to pay two years of salaries in Cuba, replenish all pharmacies for four decades, or purchase 9 billion sacks of rice.
"Nothing disappears. It was stolen. Doctors' salaries, medicines, fuel: it has all been stolen," Waltz declared to the delegates.
The Cuban delegation interrupted the speech at least three times with points of order under Article 71 of the Assembly's rules. Each time, the presidency overruled the objections and returned the floor to Waltz. Rodríguez Parrilla accused the U.S. ambassador of lying, saying, "Your performance is very poor. Get better informed."
Waltz responded firmly, "Mr. Minister, this is how it's going to work: every time you interrupt me, I will continue to explain how corrupt this regime is, and I will do it more slowly."
The ambassador also condemned the Cuban delegation's attempts to intimidate former political prisoners who participated in the "Cuba Libre" forum organized by the U.S. Permanent Mission at the UN headquarters the previous week, attended by José Daniel Ferrer—who spent over 12 years in prison—and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who served five years for writing a song.
"Colleagues, these bullies are asking for your vote. Do not give Havana another propaganda victory. Do not vote for the mistreatment of the Cuban people," Waltz concluded.
International support for the Cuban resolution has fallen from 187 votes in 2024 to 136 in the extraordinary session of July 2026, the lowest level in over a decade. The final vote on the resolution was scheduled for Wednesday.
Key Questions on Cuban Elite's Lavish Lifestyle at the UN
What evidence did Michael Waltz present at the UN against the Cuban elite?
Michael Waltz presented photographs, financial data, and visual evidence of luxury items such as Rolex watches, Hermès ties, mansions, yachts, and private islands.
How did the Cuban delegation react to Waltz's presentation?
The Cuban delegation interrupted Waltz's speech multiple times with points of order and approached the podium, causing a temporary suspension of the session.
What investigation did Waltz cite in his speech?
Waltz cited a Miami Herald investigation that revealed GAESA, the Cuban military's conglomerate, had accumulated $18 billion in liquid assets and $14 billion in cash in secret accounts.