The Ministry of National Defense has sent a fact-finding team to the Middle East ahead of a decision on deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been requested by the United States.

The fact-finding team departed for the United Arab Emirates last weekend and is currently assessing the operational conditions for the deployment unit locally.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that a decision on whether to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz has not been finalized, and added that some reports claiming the U.S. requested a decision by November—when the U.S. midterm elections are held—are not true.