Cuba rejects U.S. expulsion of two diplomats as "unjustified"

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Thursday slammed the U.S. expulsion of two Cuban diplomats in the United Nations as "unjustified."

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez addresses a news conference in Vienna, Austria, June 19, 2017. [File photo: Reuters via VCG/Leonhard Foeger]

Earlier in the day, the U.S. State Department required the imminent departure of the two diplomats who are members of Cuba's Permanent Mission to the UN, accusing them of having "attempts to conduct influence operations against the United States."

However, it announced the expulsion over "abusing their privileges of residence" in a statement without providing further details. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department demanded travels of the members of Cuba's UN mission should "essentially be restricted to the island of Manhattan" in New York City, where the UN is headquartered.

Writing on his Twitter account, Rodriguez said, "I reject categorically the unjustified expulsion of 2 officials of the Cuban Permanent Mission at the UN and the tightening of the restrictions of movement for the Cuban diplomats and its families."

He also criticized the U.S. allegation against the Cuban diplomats as a "vulgar slander" and the newly announced restrictions as aiming to provoke an escalation of bilateral diplomatic tensions.

The U.S. moves came as Cuba is seeking an end to a 57-year-old U.S. economic blockade and trade embargoes against it at the 74th session of the UN general Assembly that opened Tuesday.

In a 2018 report to the UN, Cuba said it has incurred losses worth over 933 billion U.S. dollars as a result of the U.S. sanctions.

On Monday, Rodriguez tweeted that the U.S. sanctions on oil shipments are causing a fuel shortage on the Caribbean island, which creates difficulties "affecting every Cuban family."