Airline Emirates says Iranian nationals barred from entering or transiting UAE

Restrictions come amid heightened tensions between Iran, Gulf states

Dubai-based airline Emirates' website said on Wednesday that Iranian nationals were not allowed to enter or transit the United Arab Emirates.

The website of another carrier, Flydubai, said Iranian nationals holding a UAE "Golden Visa" were exempt and permitted to enter and transit the country.

The restrictions come amid heightened tensions between Iran and Gulf states.

Read: After allies snub, Trump rips NATO in angry outburst

US President Donald Trump is ‘willing to end war without reopening Hormuz,' according to the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials. Trump and his aides have assessed in recent days that attempting to pry open the chokepoint would push the war beyond the president’s four-to-six-week timeline.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Trump wanted to reach a deal with Tehran before an April 6 deadline he set last week after extending an earlier deadline he had set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Leavitt said talks with Iran were progressing, adding that what Tehran says publicly differs from what it tells US officials in private.