FO issues travel advisory for Pakistanis amid heightened Iran-US rift

Turkey, UK, India, US and Philippine govt also advise citizens to avoid travelling to Iraq, Iran

The Foreign Office on Wednesday said Pakistani nationals must exercise caution while planning a visit to Iraq, following the assassination of Iran's revolutionary guard commander General Qassem Soleimani.

The FO advised Pakistani nationals residing in Iraq to remain in close contact with the Embassy of Pakistan in Baghdad, due to the recent developments in the region.

"In view of recent developments and the prevailing security situation in the region, Pakistani nationals are advised to exercise maximum caution while planning visit to Iraq at this point. Those already in Iraq are advised to remain in close contact with the Embassy of Pakistan in Baghdad," the FO statement read.

Earlier, the British government advised UK nationals to avoid travelling to Iraq and Iran in face of heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Pompeo decries pro-Iran factions warning to Iraqi troops

“Following the death of Qasem Soleimani and heightened tensions in the region… We now advise British nationals against all travel to Iraq (and) we now advise against all but essential travel to Iran,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement.

“The first job of any government is to keep British people safe,” the statement said.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry also asked its citizens to delay trips to Iraq amid the strained tension.

“Our citizens are advised to refrain from traveling to Iraq at this point unless it is necessary,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, citing the recent tension in the wake of a US airstrike in Baghdad killing a top Iranian commander

India also issued a travel warning asking its citizens to avoid "non-essential" travel to Iraq, hours after Iran launched missile attacks on US-led forces in Iraq.

"In view of the prevailing situation in Iraq, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iraq until further notification," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Israel on alert for fallout after US killing of Iran army commander

The US Federal Aviation Administration said it would ban US carriers from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia after recent developments in the region.

The FAA said it issued the airspace ban "due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East, which present an inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations."

The Philippines has ordered its citizens to leave Iraq, the Philippine foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"The alert level in the entire Iraq has been raised to alert level 4 calling for mandatory evacuation," said Eduardo Menez, spokesperson at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

With additional input from Anadolu Agency and Reuters