The delicate situation in the Arabian Gulf requires caution and unity to ensure national security and the safety of the people, the Kuwaiti Emir told his citizens on Monday.

He spoke at a time of raised tension in the region, as the US decision to send more forces, an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to protect its interests and allies in the region from Iranian threats met warnings from Tehran and its allied forces.

“The bitter reality of the region, its dangerous dimensions and consequences, and the developments taking place in the region calls on us to realise the current situations and circumstances, be cautious and ready to confront them to protect the safety and security of our dear country,” Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah said in a televised speech to mark the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Sabotage attacks on oil tankers off the UAE coast this month, followed by drone attacks on Saudi oil installations by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a rocket fired towards the Baghdad embassy in Iraq, where Iran supports powerful militias, have raised tension throughout the Arabian Gulf.

Both the US and Iran have insisted they do not want a war.

Sheikh Sabah said national unity was important for “protecting the country in this turbulent time,” the official Kuwait News Agency reported.

“This will not be achieved but through cohesion and adherence to our national unity, which we will never allow to prejudice,” he said. “It is the protective wall after God for the homeland that protects it from the woes that plague other countries.”

Sheikh Sabah, who is known in the Middle East as a mediator, called last week for the region to stand back, saying “war is not easy and would harm everyone if it occurred”.

“We hope the mediation efforts of many countries succeed in achieving peace and stability,” he said during a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Thursday.

Iraq, which has strong ties with Washington and Tehran, and traditional mediator Oman have said they are working to ease the situation.