US arms sales to Taiwan unrelated to Iran war, source says

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and are unrelated to the war with Iran, a source familiar with the matter said, after a senior U.S. official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the conflict. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has been waiting for the U.S. to approve an arms sale that Reuters has reported could be worth up to $14 billion. President Donald Trump sowed uncertainty in Taipei by saying, after meeting China’s President Xi Jinping this month, that he was undecided on whether to approve the package. On Thursday, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao told a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing that there was a pause on arms sales to Taiwan to make sure the U.S. had the munitions needed for the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran. The source familiar with the matter noted that Trump has said he would decide on the Taiwan arms sales soon. “These sales take years to process and are unrelated to Ope