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U.S. and Cuban officials engaged in a stunning shouting match on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly<\/a> on Tuesday, the latest in a series of public spats between the longtime adversaries over Washington’s escalating economic campaign against Havana. <\/p>\n The interaction began shortly after U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz<\/a> took the podium to argue against supporting the annual resolution this week condemning the U.S.’ decades-long economic embargo<\/a> against the island country. <\/p>\n As Waltz was detailing years of alleged corruption by the socialist government, members of the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodr\u00edguez, began to slam on their designated table and yell for a point of order. <\/p>\n Then, as U.N. officials sought to tone down the outbursts, Rodr\u00edguez walked down the aisle to the head of the General Assembly and yelled to Waltz, \u201cYou are a liar!”<\/p>\n Waltz responded, \u201cYou understand who you\u2019re dealing with? This is America. Back up.\u201d <\/p>\n While the moment represented a shocking break from diplomatic decorum traditional to the U.N., it perfectly captured the heightened tensions between Cuba and the U.S. as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to force changes to Cuba\u2019s political system by increasing its already punishing economic campaign. <\/p>\n The Caribbean country \u2014 already facing the dire impact of longtime economic and financial troubles<\/a> \u2014 is now being pushed to a breaking point<\/a> after Trump, a Republican, announced in late January that he would impose tariffs<\/a> on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The warning has effectively cut off fuel to the island<\/a>, leading to widespread power outages that affect basic activities such as cooking, the water supply and internet and telephone services.<\/p>\n Cuban officials have also repeatedly stressed<\/a> that as U.S. officials demand that Cuba open up to private investment, Washington keeps piling on sanctions that stymie the very economic opening it has sought for decades.<\/p>\n The outbursts Tuesday come a week after a similar interaction between Waltz and his Cuban counterpart, Ernesto Sober\u00f3n Guzm\u00e1n, outside a U.S.-hosted panel with Cuban dissidents and former prisoners that sought to highlight allegations of the oppressive behavior of the island\u2019s government. <\/p>\n Waltz and other U.S. officials have been using these public events and gatherings at the world body to try to persuade U.N. member states to vote on Wednesday against the annual resolution, which is aimed at calling out the U.S. government\u2019s \u201cmaximum pressure policy\u201d against Cuba. <\/p>\n For the past 34 years, the resolution has received overwhelming support. Last year, the vote was 165-7, with 12 abstentions. Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary opposed the measure for the first time.<\/p>\n While such resolutions are not legally binding, they do reflect world opinion.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/united-nations-general-assembly<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n