Khalilur Rahman Calms Tense Situation at UN
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who is presiding over a session of the United Nations General Assembly, played a key role in controlling a heated exchange between representatives of the United States and Cuba.
As the two sides traded accusations and shouted at each other, he repeatedly struck the gavel and called for calm. When the situation failed to improve, he temporarily suspended the session. According to a report by a US media outlet on Wednesday, the incident occurred during the UN’s annual debate on the US embargo against Cuba.
Speaking at the session, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz strongly criticised the Cuban government. At the beginning of his speech, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and members of the Cuban delegation began shouting in protest.
Khalilur Rahman repeatedly struck the gavel and urged them to remain calm, but his initial appeals failed to restore order. Waltz then sarcastically said he hoped the presiding officer was taking note of the Cuban delegation’s behaviour. He added that people should imagine what might happen to someone who raised similar questions in Havana.
“This is the United States, this is the United Nations—not your communist dictatorship. You will not silence me or my colleagues,” Mr. Waltz said. At one point, the Cuban foreign minister moved towards the front of the chamber. Waltz told him to move away from the podium. As tensions escalated, Khalilur Rahman temporarily suspended the session.
After restoring order, the Bangladeshi foreign minister took steps to resume proceedings. Reminding delegates of the rules governing the session, he gave Rodríguez Parrilla an opportunity to speak. However, the Cuban foreign minister was allowed to raise a procedural objection rather than respond directly to the substance of Mr. Waltz’s speech.
Taking the floor, Rodríguez Parrilla protested against Mr. Waltz’s remarks and described his allegations as “shameless lies”. Mr. Waltz subsequently completed his speech without any major further disruption. Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, he urged member states to vote against a resolution concerning the US embargo on Cuba.
After the incident, the Cuban foreign minister criticised Mr. Waltz in a post on the social media platform X. He alleged that Mr. Waltz’s arrogance had made him forget that he was at the United Nations, not the US National Security Council or a military unit.
Waltz, a former member of the US Army Special Forces, was also involved in a controversy last year. While serving as national security adviser, he mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal group chat in which senior US officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice-President JD Vance, were discussing details of planned US strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
