The Foreign Office has issued an urgent travel alert to Brits travelling to 16 countries. Officials are advising people to take "sensible precautions" due to increasing tensions in Iran and the wider region.

The warning includes popular holiday hotspots such as Turkey, Dubai, Cyprus and Egypt. The Foreign Office has warned that further escalation in the area could lead to travel disruption. The office said in an alert issued on Thursday (January 15): "There is a heightened risk of regional tension. Escalation could lead to travel disruption and other unanticipated impacts. Escalation could lead to travel disruption and other unanticipated impacts. British nationals should take sensible precautions, considering their own individual circumstances."

As reported by Leicestershire Live, Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours early on Thursday morning. Tensions remain high with the USA over Tehran's bloody response to nationwide protests.

The closure expired shortly after 7am with several domestic flights taking to the air once again. Iran previously shut its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel last June.

SafeAirspace, which provides information on conflict areas and air travel, said: "Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace.

"The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic."

At least 2,400 protesters have reportedly been killed in Iran during two weeks of nationwide unrest. Meanwhile, thousands more are believed to have been arrested due to protests that threaten the rule of the Islamic Regime.

The protests began when shopkeepers took to the streets in Tehran on December 28. They expressed their anger at the sharp fall of the rial against the US dollar.

The protests gathered momentum with university students soon joining. The unrest spread across the nation with wider calls made for the removal of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, the authorities have cracked down violently, using a range of weapons against the protesters. According to US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 2,417 protesters, 12 children and 147 people affiliated with the government had been killed as of January 14.

US President Donald Trump has threatened military intervention if the situation continues. He said his administration would "act accordingly" to respond to the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown.