Dutch airline KLM has halted all flight to Middle East indefinitely and will not fly through the airspace of several countries in the region, including Iraq and Iran, according to the Netherlands’ state broadcaster.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a U.S. "armada" was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely, even after downplaying the prospect of imminent military action and saying Tehran appeared interested in talks.
Meanwhile, Air France on Saturday announced it resumed its Dubai service after temporarily suspending it the day before due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
The French airline said it was "monitoring developments" in the region "to ensure the highest level of flight safety and security".
KLM told Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Friday that it had suspended flights until further notice to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh and would not fly through the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Israel and several countries in the Gulf.
The airline did not disclose the reason for the suspensions and said it was in touch with Dutch authorities, according to NOS.
Trump has repeatedly threatened U.S. strikes on Iran over the crackdown on the protest movement that recently erupted across the country.
The prospect of military action appeared to recede last week after the White House said Tehran had halted planned executions of demonstrators, but Trump on Thursday confirmed continuing military preparations.
"You know we have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case... We have a big force going toward Iran," he said.
