The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has issued a security alert for Americans in Israel amid heightened regional tensions following weeks of mass protests in Iran.

Onetime allies, the United States and Iran have seen tensions escalate repeatedly in the four decades since the Islamic Revolution.

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday likened recent anti-government protests to a "coup", warning that any US attack on the Islamic republic following Washington's military deployments in the Middle East would trigger a regional war.

The U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran is telling American citizens who are still in the country to leave immediately. The warning Tuesday comes as more than 2,000 people have been killed in the ongoing anti-government demonstrations, according to an activist group.

Tensions persist as EU countries urge citizens to leave Iran and Trump warns Tehran against killing protesters.

The recent wave of protests in Iran constitutes one of the most significant developments in the history of the Islamic Republic. Although the Iranian authorities imposed an internet blackout to contain the flow of information,

US-Iran Tensions: IMO cited "regional tensions" as the reason for the personnel's departure from the US Air Base. This confirmation from Qatar comes just hours after the Indian Embassy in Tehran issued an advisory for the Indian nationals currently in Iran to leave the country at the earliest.

Iran says it is ready to hold discussions with the US after President Donald Trump said Tehran had called his administration to negotiate. Follow for live updates