US pausing $14bn arms sale to Taiwan due to Iran war, navy chief says
Key takeaways
- Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao’s remarks come as US President Donald Trump gives mixed signals on the sale.
- “Right now, we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury – which we have plenty,” Cao told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
- “But we’re just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao’s remarks come as US President Donald Trump gives mixed signals on the sale.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo US Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao speaks during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, the US, on May 19, 2026 [Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters]By Erin Hale Published On 22 May 202622 May 2026A top United States military official has said Washington is pausing a $14bn arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for its war on Iran.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao provided the update to lawmakers during a Senate hearing on Thursday, a week after the weapons sale took centre stage in talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.