{"id":461,"date":"2026-05-23T07:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=461"},"modified":"2026-05-23T07:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:36:01","slug":"taiwan-says-it-was-left-out-in-cold-on-us-decision-to-freeze-key-arms-shipment-amid-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=461","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan Says It Was Left Out In Cold On US Decision To Freeze Key Arms Shipment Amid Iran War"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A top U.S. Navy official revealed Thursday that the U.S. had paused a key arms sale to Taiwan, but Taiwanese officials never got the memo.<\/p>\n

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Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Thursday reviewing the president\u2019s fiscal year 2027 budget request for the Navy that he had not \u201cspoken to the Taiwanese\u201d regarding the decision. The sale was slated to be worth $14 billion, according to an open letter sent by multiple senators on May 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt \u200bpresent we have not \u2060received any relevant information about the U.S. adjusting these military sales,\u201d Reuters reported, citing Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo. Taiwan\u2019s defence ministry had also not been notified, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Trump To Speak With Taiwanese President In Historic Dialogue)<\/strong><\/p>\n

President Donald Trump visited Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 to discuss trade negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz and Taiwan. Trump referred to the weapons package as a good \u201cnegotiating chip\u201d for the United States during an interview with Fox News on May 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, we are, we have done some military, foreign military sales to them in the past,\u201d Cao said one hour and 11 minutes into the hearing. \u201cIt\u2019s just right now we\u2019re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury, which we have plenty, but we are just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs with all prospective foreign military sales and security assistance matters, the details remain predecisional until finalized by the President,\u201d Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told the Daily Caller New Foundation. \u201cOur Taiwan policy remains unchanged, and the U.S. continues to adhere to long-standing commitment consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Operation Epic Fury has caused the U.S. military to expend a significant portion of its munition stockpiles. During the operation, the U.S. military used more interceptors defending Israel than Israel used to defend itself, The Washington Post reported, citing defense department assessments.<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. military has lacked sufficient munitions for a protracted conflict against China for years\u2014including well before Operation Epic Fury,\u201d the president of the defense and security department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Seth Jones, wrote on May 12.<\/p>\n

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Since the Iran war began, the U.S. military has used somewhere between 45% and 61% of its Patriot missiles, according to a CSIS report.<\/p>\n

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky pressed Cao on whether the sales would actually take place.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut another way, do you expect the sale to be approved at some point?\u201d McConnell asked Cao. \u201cSenator, that would be up to the secretary of war and the secretary of state, sir,\u201d Cao replied.<\/p>\n

McConnell said leaving the decision up to the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is \u201creally distressing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\"Taiwanese\n<\/div>\n

Taiwanese soldiers man a US-made M1A2T Abrams tank during a live-fire shooting session for Taiwan\u2019s first batch of the advanced tank, which takes place separately from the annual Han Kuang military exercise, in Hsinchu on July 10, 2025. (Photo by I-HWA CHENG\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese sales take years to process and are unrelated to Operation Epic Fury,\u201d according to a source familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity. \u201cThe United States Military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump\u2019s strategic goals and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taiwan received the final delivery of 28 U.S.-made M1 Abrams main battle tanks on April 27, though these tanks are not a part of the proposed $14 billion arms package, the South China Morning Post reported. The full purchase contained 108 M1 Abrams tanks and related support equipment valued at over $2 billion, according to the .<\/p>\n

U.S. INDOPACOM, the Pentagon and the Taiwanese Military News Agency did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

\u2018Clock Is Ticking\u2019<\/h3>\n

As the arms sale is paused because of Operation Epic Fury, a recent Truth Social post from President Donald Trump said that time is running out for negotiations with the Iranian Regime.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won\u2019t be anything left of them,\u201d Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. \u201cTIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! President DJT\u201d<\/p>\n