‘Makes no sense’: experts doubt pause in US arms sale to Taiwan is due to Iran war

The Guardian UK Wednesday 27 May 2026, 01:24 UTC By Alastair McCready and Yu-chen Li in Taipei 1 min read

Key Points

Experts doubt that the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region is causing a pause in the US arms sale to Taiwan. A $14 billion weapons package, which is awaiting approval, is unlikely to be affected by the Iran situation due to the long processing time involved. Analysts suggest there is a low probability of any connection between the Gulf events and the delivery schedule for Taiwan.

While approval is due soon for $14bn deal, actual deliveries to Taiwan are years away – making ‘Operation Epic Fury’ in the Gulf an unlikely cause

The Trump administration’s war against Iran should have no impact on arms sales to Taiwan, experts have said, after a US official suggested a pause in the delivery of a key weapons package was due to the Gulf conflict.

Analysts told the Guardian that a $14bn arms package left in limbo after Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping could take up to six years to process, and there was a “low likelihood” of any true connection between events in Iran and weapons delivery to Taiwan.

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

‘Makes no sense’: experts doubt pause in US arms sale to Taiwan is due to Iran war

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