Washington: War in Iran does not postpone arms deliveries to Taiwan

(Patria) - The war in Iran has not postponed arms deliveries to Taiwan, nor has it changed US policy towards the island, administration officials told members of Congress yesterday, despite the demands posed by an intensive air campaign.

Although the conflict in Iran has fueled concerns about the capacity of the US defense industry, which is already dealing with existing multi-year delays in multi-billion dollar deliveries to Taiwan, the administration assures that no new postponements have occurred, Reuters writes.

"We have not postponed the shipment of equipment to Taiwan," said Stanley Brown, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.

Brown says the administration is looking for ways to speed up deliveries, but did not provide details.

The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, raising fears among some US officials that the defense industry would not be able to keep up with demand.

According to their fears, this could force the US to slow down deliveries to customers like Taiwan, which is facing ever-increasing military pressure from China.

Several members of the Foreign Affairs Committee expressed concern for the island's security during the hearing, which was held on the day Trump announced he was postponing his long-awaited trip to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Taiwan was supposed to be one of the main topics of discussion between the two leaders.

China considers Taiwan its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's claims, emphasizing that only the island's people can decide its future.

China held its latest military exercises around Taiwan in December, and its warships and aircraft regularly operate near the island.

Last week, Reuters reported that a large US arms package for Taiwan, which includes advanced interceptor missiles, is ready for Trump's approval and could be signed after his trip to China.

With a price tag of around $14 billion, it would be the largest single arms sale deal to the democratically governed island. It is currently unknown whether the travel postponement will affect the realization of this agreement.

Meanwhile, a sharp debate is underway in Congress between Trump's Republicans and Democrats over the president's use of emergency powers to bypass congressional review in arms sales to foreign countries.

One such example is the decision this month to expedite the sale of bombs to Israel worth $650 million.

At the hearing, Committee Chairman Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida, along with other party colleagues, accused Democrats of delaying crucial aid to important allies while facing international threats.

On the other hand, Gregory Meeks of New York, the leading Democrat on the Committee, said that bypassing congressional scrutiny of large deals weakens oversight of human rights compliance.