Bahrain is ordering all of its citizens to immediately leave Iraq and Iran, amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf.

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry made the announcement via its state-run news agency Saturday afternoon.

It cited the "unstable situation in the region and the grave developments and threats that threaten security and stability."

Bahrain is a small, Sunni-ruled island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It regularly accuses Iran of stirring dissent in its Shiite-majority population.