ISTANBUL

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun sidestepped questions Tuesday about whether the US had formally asked his country to send warships to the Middle East, Yonhap News Agency reported.

During a parliamentary session, Cho gave vague responses when lawmakers asked whether Seoul had received any formal or informal request from Washington to deploy troops in support of US operations against Iran.

"It may or may not be considered a request," he said. "As for whether there have been discussions with the US about troop deployment itself, it is difficult for me to comment at this time."

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump called Sunday on China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to join what he described as a “team effort” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by sending warships, though no country has so far publicly committed to the plan.

On Monday, Trump said that “numerous countries” are preparing to help the US reopen the strait, though he declined to identify them, citing concerns that they could be targeted.

He noted that the US imports less than 1% of its oil through the strategic waterway, while other countries such as Japan, China and South Korea along with Europe depend far more heavily on it.

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