The United States has advised its citizens across the Middle East to exercise caution and be prepared to leave the region amid fears of a wider conflict, a day after President Donald Trump had warned that Washington could launch fresh strikes on Iran.

US embassies in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued online advisories on Saturday, warning Americans about the possibility of an “unforeseen escalation” in the region. The alerts came as tensions rose following Trump’s latest threat to hit Iran “very hard” if ongoing efforts to reach a deal with Tehran fail.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, Trump had said that US negotiators, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were still trying to secure an agreement with Iran. However, he also expressed growing frustration with Tehran.

“We will be hitting them very hard… and at some point, they will say we just can’t take it anymore,” Trump said, adding that he was losing faith in Iran because it “breaks its word” and “lies and misinterprets”.