US President Donald Trump is to hold separate calls with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and UAE today on 29 January, according to a White House statement.

The call is scheduled amid an uproar resulting from the US President’s signing of an executive order on 27 January that bans citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for the next 90 days and suspends the entry of all refugees for 120 days.

UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airlines has amended entry requirements for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Libya as a result of the executive order.

According to an Etihad spokesperson, effective immediately, nationals from these countries may only travel to the US if they hold one of the following documents:

• A valid US Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) card, commonly known as a “green card”;
• Diplomatic visa;
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) visas;
• C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations;
• G-1, G-2, G-3 and G-4 visas;
• Or valid passport from another country that allows U.S. entry along with a valid U.S. visa or ESTA as applicable for that passport

There has been confusion at immigration desks in many airports globally following the signing of the executive order on Friday.

Various sources have indicated between 100 and 200 people, many of who hold valid visas or refugee status, are detained in transit or at US airports since the order was signed.