JAKARTA - The United States on Thursday announced a delay in weapons to Taiwan worth 14 billion US dollars due to the war in Iran.
Speaking during a Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense hearing in Washington, DC, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao explained his decision, stressing that the US military still has many missiles and interceptors, even though surveillance has increased on reports of dwindling ammunition supplies.
"Currently, we are postponing sales to ensure we have the ammunition we need for Epic Fury, which is quite a lot," Cao told committee members, launching Anadolu (22/5).
"We are just making sure we have everything, but the sale of military equipment abroad will continue when the government deems it necessary," he continued.
Cao said the final approval of the arms sale would depend on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
However, his remarks appear to contradict President Donald Trump's reason for delaying arms sales to Taiwan, in which he indicated he might delay the sale as a "bargaining chip" with China.
"I haven't agreed to it. We'll see what happens," President Trump told Fox News.
"I might do it. I might not," he added.
The president told reporters after his visit to China that he had discussed the topic with Chinese President Xi Jinping "in detail" before saying he would "make a decision in the fairly short term."
According to media reports, the United States has for decades adhered to the Six Assurances - a set of six foreign policy principles guiding US-Taiwan relations implemented in 1982 during the administration of President Ronald Reagan - with the second assurance stipulating that the US will not consult with China regarding the sale of weapons to Taiwan.
Although Cao assured the US that it had enough ammunition, reports indicate that the US military has spent thousands of missiles since the Iran war began on February 28, using almost half of the long-range stealth cruise missiles in the Pentagon's inventory and exhausting the reserves of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Patriot interceptor missiles, Precision Strike missiles, and ATACMS ground-based missiles.
The White House plans to ask Congress for an additional $80 billion to $100 billion in funding for the Iran war, with most of the funds intended to replace expensive and sophisticated weapons that have been depleted during the fighting.
The only good news is that since April, the war has eased into a tense truce, with far fewer munitions used.
Defense Minister Hegseth has dismissed concerns about dwindling supplies, accusing the media and some lawmakers of exaggerating the issue.
"First of all, the issue of ammunition has been stupidly exaggerated and unhelpful," he told lawmakers last week.
"We know exactly what we have. We have a lot of things we need," he said.
It is known that in the midst of the Iran war, Taiwan has urged the Trump administration to continue selling weapons as a way to prevent military aggression from China.
"If we want to prevent war from happening, I think the best thing is for Taiwan to be strong, able to defend itself, and therefore we must be able to acquire, buy the weapons we need to have a stronger defense," said Taiwan's representative to the US, Alexander Yui, in a statement.
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