US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal will spark 'arms race', warns Jordan foreign minister

Jordan's foreign minister has warned that if the US withdraws from the Iran nuclear deal it could lead to an arms race in the Middle East, the Reuters news agency reported.

Ayman al-Safadi made the comments on Tuesday, ahead of US President Donald Trump's expected announcement that he will pull out of the deal.

"We all need to work together in making sure that we solve the conflicts of the region... and strive for a Middle East that is free of all weapons of mass destruction," Safadi said.

"If we do not look at the political picture and... find a way to ensure that the whole region is free of [these weapons], we'll be looking at a lot of dangerous repercussions that will affect the region in terms of an arms race," he said.

Trump has tweeted that he will announce his decision at 2pm (6pm GMT) on Tuesday.

Officials and diplomats expect the US leader to ignore last-ditch European pleas and move to withdraw the US from the landmark agreement, which he insists was "very badly negotiated."

In a hard-won deal struck in 2015, Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of punishing international sanctions.

The Jordanian minister's comments come after a recent warning from Saudi Arabia that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, Riyadh will follow suit

"Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last month.