Trump threatens to ‘terminate the deal’ with Cuba after Castro’s passing

Not long after the passing of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to “terminate the deal," with the Caribbean island nation.

The United States’ future president posted a tweet on Monday, targeting a thaw in Havana-Washington ties pursued in the administration of President Barack Obama.

"If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the US as a whole, I will terminate the deal," he said.

He made the remarks following the Saturday death of the Cuban iconic figure, which made Trump tweet "Fidel Castro is dead!"

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said later on Monday that his passing is unlikely to have any impact on the new phase of relations between the old time foes.

Obama refused to criticize Castro in a statement released over his death, which "speaks for itself" about how the president considers ties with Cuba, according to Earnest.

Throngs of people showed up at Havana's Plaza of the Revolution on Monday for the start of an emotional, week-long farewell service for Castro.

The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 and placed an official embargo against the country in 1962.

The two countries became ideological foes soon after the 1959 revolution in Cuba, which brought Fidel Castro to power, and their ties remained hostile even after the end of the Cold War.

Washington and Havana, however, restored diplomatic relations after 18 months of secret talks that led to a joint announcement on December 17, 2014.

Obama, who visited Havana in March, has been the first sitting US president to visit Cuba in nearly a century.

While campaigning for the 2016 presidential election, Trump expressed conflicting views about the US deal with Cuba, threatening to reverse it on some occasions and renegotiate it on some others.

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