US pauses Taiwan arms sales for Iran war, acting navy chief says

US arms sales to Taiwan have been put on pause to ensure the military has sufficient munitions for operations in Iran, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Thursday, delivering another setback to Taipei following a series of remarks by President Donald Trump.

Testifying before a congressional hearing, Cao said the $14 billion weapons package awaiting Trump’s approval for months was on hold. “Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury [the Iran war] – which we have plenty,” he stated.

Cao added: “We’re just making sure we have everything, then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”

When Senator Mitch McConnell asked whether the arms sales to Taiwan would ultimately receive approval, Cao deferred to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “Yeah, that’s what’s really distressing,” McConnell replied.

Concern has mounted over reports that the US has depleted a significant portion of its missile stockpiles since launching the increasingly intractable war against Iran on February 28, which has since settled into a fragile ceasefire.

In response to Cao’s statement, Taiwan’s presidential office spokesperson, Karen Kuo, said Friday that Taipei had “no information indicating that the US intends to make any adjustments to this arms sale.”

The announcement comes as unwelcome news for Taipei, arriving a week after Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for a summit where the multibillion-dollar weapons packages for Taiwan featured prominently on the agenda.

China has repeatedly stated it “resolutely opposes” US arms sales to the island democracy, which Beijing considers a breakaway province it has never ruled and has not renounced the use of force to reclaim.

During Trump’s visit, Xi issued a stark warning that the US and China “will collide or even conflict” if the Taiwan issue “is not handled well.”

Washington maintains an ambiguous stance on whether it would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion, but under the decades-old Taiwan Relations Act, it is required to provide Taipei with sufficient military equipment to defend itself.

While Trump said he made no commitments about Taiwan during his meeting with Xi, he has made several statements in the week since that have cast doubt on the future of Washington’s enduring support for Taipei.

In a Fox News interview while still in Beijing, the US leader described the weapons packages as a “very good negotiating chip,” suggesting he was prepared to break with Washington’s policy of not consulting China on the matter.

Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One on the return flight that he discussed Taiwan in “great detail” with Xi and would soon “make a determination” on pending weapons packages.

The US leader also said he plans to speak with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, a bold move that Taipei has welcomed but which would likely provoke a robust response from Beijing.

No sitting US president has spoken to a Taiwan leader since 1979, when Washington shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. Trump did, however, speak to then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen when he was president-elect in late 2016.

Additional reporting by Yu-chen Li.