Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao’s remarks come as US President Donald Trump gives mixed signals over the sale.

A top United States military official has said Washington is pausing a $14bn arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for its war on Iran.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao provided the update to lawmakers during a Senate hearing on Thursday, a week after the weapons sale took centre stage in talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

“Right now, we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury – which we have plenty,” Cao told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

“But we’re just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”

Cao said any decision to move forward with the sale – which would be the largest ever weapons transfer to Taiwan – would be made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The war has been paused since the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 8, but the sides have yet to reach a permanent peace deal.

The US Congress approved the weapons package for Taiwan in January, but the sale requires Trump’s sign-off to move forward.

If approved, the sale would surpass a record-breaking $11bn arms package for Taiwan approved by Trump in December.

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters on Friday that Taiwan would continue to pursue arms purchases, according to Taiwanese news outlet FTV News.

However, Taiwan officials later noted that they had not been notified of any pause in the deal.

Taiwan’s authorities have seen the reports, “but currently there is no information regarding any adjustments the US will make to this arms sale,” presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said, according to the AP news agency.

William Yang, senior analyst for Northeast Asia at the Crisis Group, said in a social media post that the pause will “exacerbate anxiety and scepticism about US support in Taiwan and make it difficult for the Taiwanese government to request additional defence budget for the foreseeable future”.

‘Consistent and clear’

Trump, who has confirmed that he discussed the weapons deal with Xi at their recent meeting, said last week in an interview with Fox News that he “may” or “may not” approve the package.

China claims self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, and objects to Washington’s ongoing but unofficial support for Taipei.

Xi is reported to have issued a strong warning at the meeting with the US leader, telling him that the “Taiwan question” is the most important issue in US-China relations and that the two nations could “have clashes and even conflicts,” if the issue isn’t handled properly.

Trump has also suggested that the arms package could be used as a “negotiating chip” – despite a decades-old precedent against consulting with Beijing on arms sales.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday that “China’s opposition to the US arms sale to China’s Taiwan region is consistent, clear-cut and resolute”.

The US government does not officially recognise Taiwan but is committed to helping the island to defend itself under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, enacted shortly after Washington severed diplomatic ties with Taipei.

Trump has continued to test the status quo on Taiwan in other ways, saying earlier this week that he would consider speaking to Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te about the arms deal.

Such a move would break with four decades of diplomatic protocol against direct talks with the Taiwanese leader and almost certainly provoke an angry response from Beijing.

Trump held a phone call with former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after his 2016 election win, but their talks took place before he was sworn in as president.