Japan has not yet received request from US on sending its navy to escort ships in Strait of Hormuz: Prime minister

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that it is "difficult to answer" on sending Japanese warships to the Strait of Hormuz, noting that Japan has not yet received a request from the US in this regard.

"We are currently considering what we can do to protect Japanese-related vessels and the lives of their crews within the scope of Japanese law," Takaichi told parliament.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump suggested that countries including Japan deploy their warships alongside US naval forces to help secure the strategic waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of energy market concerns since Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced its closure to most vessels amid US-Israeli attacks against Iran that began on Feb. 28.

Prior to the war, around 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait daily. Its disruption has pushed up oil prices.

US-Israeli attacks on Iran have so far killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.