US suspends F-16 fighter jet delivery to Egypt

The Obama administration says it is delaying a planned sale of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt in light of the "current situation" on the ground there, an indication that the military overthrow of democratically-elected President Mohammed Morsi has complicated arms deals between the two countries.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said President Obama made the decision to hold up the sale of only the F-16 jets, while the broader question of whether to suspend $1.3 billion in annual military assistance in response to the Egypt's turmoil has not been settled.

The U.S. is required to suspend foreign aid to any country that suffers a military coup, according to the Foreign Assistance Act. But the Obama administration has yet to describe the events in Egypt as a “coup.”

Little said the administration will nonetheless proceed with an annual U.S.-Egyptian military exercise, called Bright Star.

"We remain committed to the U.S.-Egypt defense relationship as it remains a foundation of our broader strategic partnership with Egypt and serves as pillar for regional stability," he said.

"Moving forward, everything that we do and say will continue to be focused on hastening Egypt's return to a democratically elected government as soon as possible," he added.

Little was not specific about the reason for delaying the F-16 sale, beyond saying that it was deemed "prudent" in light of "the current situation."

Al Jazeera and wire services