WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said today it is delaying a planned sale of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt in light of the military overthrow that ousted Mohammed Morsi as president.

Pentagon press secretary George Little says President Barack Obama made the decision to hold up the sale. He said the delay applies only to the F-16 sale; the broader question of whether to suspend $1.3 billion in annual military assistance in response to the Egyptian military’s removal of the country’s Islamist president three weeks ago has not been settled.

Little said the administration has decided to proceed with an annual U.S.-Egyptian military exercise, called Bright Star.

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.”