Most Gulf stock markets ended lower on Sunday as investors grew ​cautious amid ⁠the possibility of rising regional tensions.

The uncertainty dampened ‌sentiment, leading some traders to pare back risk and reduce exposure to equities.

The ​U.S. military is making preparations for the possibility of weeks-long operations against ​Iran if ​President Donald Trump orders an attack, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two U.S. officials.

Such an escalation could trigger ⁠a much more serious conflict than anything previously seen between the two countries.

Iran is seeking a nuclear deal with the United States that would bring economic gains to both countries, ​an Iranian diplomat ‌was reported ⁠to have ⁠said on Sunday, just days ahead of a second round of talks ​between Tehran and Washington.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark ‌index lost 0.2%, hit by a 0.5% ⁠fall in Al Rajhi Bank and a 0.9% decline in oil giant Saudi Aramco.

Gulf markets continue to look resilient, with the capacity for sustained growth. However, concerns regarding a regional conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel currently dominate the landscape, said Samer Hasn, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com.

In Qatar, the index dropped 0.4%, with Qatar Islamic Bank losing 1.1%.

Outside ‌the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index advanced 3.6%, closing ⁠at an all-time high, as almost all ​its constituents were in positive territory after the most populous Arab country cut its interest rates by 100 basis points.

Saudi fell 0.2% ​to Arabia 11,229 Qatar was down ‌0.4% to 11,468 Egypt advanced 3.6% to 52,308 Bahrain eased 0.2% to 2,048 Oman dropped ⁠0.7% to 7,129 Kuwait lost 0.6% to 9,236.

(Reporting ​by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru Editing by Christina Fincher)