US Halts Arms Sales to Taiwan Due to Iran War, Experts Call It 'Unreasonable'

The U.S. has announced a temporary halt to arms sales to Taiwan, citing the Iran War. Experts, however, criticize this decision as unreasonable and suggest little actual connection between the war and Taiwan's military procurements.

Wed May 27 2026

US Halts Taiwan Arms Sales Amid Iran War

Acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Kaohsiung, recently confirmed that the United States would temporarily suspend arms sales to Taiwan due to the Iran War. However, experts strongly criticized this decision, arguing that the Iran War should not impact arms sales to Taiwan. In particular, a $14 billion arms deal, stalled after discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, is expected to take up to six years to finalize. This suggests a low probability of a substantial connection between the Iran War and arms sales to Taiwan.

Experts Deem Decision 'Unreasonable,' Warn of Disadvantage for Taiwan

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, dismissed Kaohsiung's rationale—that the U.S. needs to secure its own ammunition reserves—as "unreasonable." Hammond-Chambers explained that arms deals currently under consideration by President Trump would require at least three to six years for delivery. Even if Trump notifies Congress by late June, it would still take six to twelve months to complete the agreement signing process before the delivery timeline officially begins. This means Taiwan would not receive the military equipment until after 2030. He warned that while approval within the next four to six weeks would dispel doubts about U.S. security commitments, any delay until autumn, when Trump is expected to meet Xi Jinping at the White House, would put Taiwan at a "disadvantage."

*Source: 中時新聞網 (2026-05-27)*

Tags: #미국 #대만 #이란 #무기판매 #국제정치