(MENAFN) Tensions surged at the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday as Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla accused the United States of orchestrating an unwarranted and provocative military escalation in the Caribbean.

Calling the situation “extraordinary and absolutely unjustified,” Rodriguez warned that the rising presence of U.S. naval and air forces in the region is fueling the threat of war.

He dismissed Washington’s stated rationale for its operations — to curb crime and narcotics trafficking — as disingenuous. "A story that no one believes," he said.

Rodriguez further alleged that U.S. actions are endangering civilians and undermining international norms. "The attack and destruction of unregistered or unchartered course speedboats; the extrajudicial murder or execution of civilians; the interdiction of fishing vessels or boats and the aggressive actions of the United States create a dangerous situation that violates International Law and threatens regional peace and security," he told world leaders during his UNGA address.

The Cuban official also issued a strong rebuke of the longstanding U.S. embargo against Havana, calling it a form of economic aggression. He said the blockade has been "tightened to the extremes" and amounts to a "prolonged economic war."

Despite delivering a scathing critique of U.S. policies, Rodriguez reaffirmed the importance of the United Nations, describing it — despite its flaws — as the most representative institution of the global community.

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