Denmark's Maersk said Sunday it will pause sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal and reroute ships around the Cape of Good Hope, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the region into turmoil.

"Due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East region following the escalating military conflict, we have decided...to pause future Trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the time being," Maersk said in a statement.

Maersk had said on Friday it would temporarily reroute some of its sailings around the Cape of Good Hope, away from the Suez Canal, citing unforeseen constraints in the Red Sea region.

The container shipping group last month announced a gradual return of some services to the Suez route, seen as a key step towards ending two years of global trade disruption caused by attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and take all needed actions," the company said.

"Once the situation stabilizes and the security conditions again permit, we will continue to prioritize the Trans-Suez route," Maersk added, commenting on its Middle East-India to Mediterranean and Middle East-India to East Coast U.S. services.

Maersk also said it was suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, adding that services calling ports in the Arabian Gulf may experience delays, rerouting, or schedule adjustments.

The shipping giant added it was still accepting cargo to the Middle East.