The president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed, is canceling a state visit to Japan amid growing tensions in the Middle East over Iran, Japan¡¯s public broadcaster NHK reported.

The UAE cited ¡°domestic circumstances¡± for scrapping the three-day visit that was supposed to begin on Feb. 8, NHK said, citing unidentified Japanese officials. The move is believed to be connected to the military standoff between the U.S. and Iran, it added.

The UAE government didn¡¯t immediately respond to a request for comment.

It¡¯s the latest sign of countries positioning for a potential conflict between Washington and the Islamic Republic. Over the weekend, Iran¡¯s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned of a ¡°regional war¡± if his country is attacked. Tehran has previously threatened to retaliate with strikes on Israel and U.S. bases in the region.

Some of Japan¡¯s biggest buyers of liquefied natural gas said they will skip a key conference in Qatar this week because of security concerns.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Tehran with military action if it doesn¡¯t agree to a deal to curb its nuclear program. On Sunday, he said an armada is ¡°a couple of days¡± away from Iran.

Trump also said unspecified Gulf allies were negotiating with Iran to reduce tensions and he¡¯s hopeful that ¡°we¡¯ll make a deal.¡±

Oil prices fell sharply in early trading on Monday, with Brent dropping more than 5% to around $65.60 a barrel. Prices are still up roughly 7.5% this year, in large part because of the chances of a conflict in the oil-rich region.

¡°Structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,¡± Iran¡¯s security chief Ali Larijani said Saturday, hours after a previously unannounced visit to Tehran by Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The UAE¡¯s president, known as MBZ, told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a call last week that he supports all efforts to promote regional security through dialog.