"Trump to Approve Taiwan Arms Sales Soon"... White House Denies Iran War Delay Claims

"Decision on Taiwan Arms Package to Be Made Soon"
Acting Navy Secretary's 'Temporary Suspension' Remark at Congressional Hearing

After a senior U.S. military official commented that arms sales to Taiwan had been temporarily suspended due to the war in Iran, prompting controversy, the White House denied the claim and moved to contain the situation.

According to Reuters on May 23 (local time), a White House official indicated that a decision regarding the Taiwanese arms package would be made soon, suggesting this position.

This official also referenced the Trump Administration's approval of an arms package for Taiwan worth $11 billion (approximately 16.7 trillion won) last year, and conveyed that, as U.S. President Donald Trump has stated, additional approvals would be forthcoming in the near future.

The official further emphasized, "President Trump, even during his first term, permitted larger-scale arms sales to Taiwan than any other president." According to Reuters, another source also stated that the delay in U.S. approval of arms sales to Taiwan had nothing to do with Iran.

Hung Cao Mi, Acting Minister of the Navy, UPI=Yonhap News.

This source stressed, "The U.S. military has sufficient stockpiles of munitions and weaponry to achieve and exceed all of President Trump's strategic objectives," and emphasized that the arms sales process takes years and is unrelated to the war in Iran.

This statement refutes comments made earlier by Heng Kao Mi, Acting Minister of the Navy, who said on May 21 during a congressional hearing that the arms sales plan to Taiwan was "currently on hold in order to secure munitions necessary for Operation Noble Fury against Iran."

Acting Minister Heng Kao Mi's remarks drew continued controversy, as senior military officials directly addressed munitions supply issues at a time when U.S. media have been raising concerns that prolonged conflict with Iran is depleting U.S. missile reserves.

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979.

While the U.S. Congress pushed for an additional $14 billion support package for Taiwan in January, the Trump Administration has not yet given its approval.

Amid these circumstances, concerns about a weakening of America's security commitments have been growing, as President Trump recently commented after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a "bargaining chip."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.