Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
US President Donald Trump is set to decide the fate of the landmark Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, announcing his verdict on US sanctions relief underpinning the international accord, which he has repeatedly and harshly criticised.
Officials and diplomats expect the pugnacious US leader to ignore last-ditch European pleas and move to withdraw the United States from a 2015 agreement, which he insists was "very badly negotiated".
Trump has unsuccessfully demanded changes to the Obama-era deal, which saw Iran mothball a suspected nuclear weapons program in return for massive sanctions relief.
Months of intensive talks between the United States and European allies now appear deadlocked, with Berlin, London and Paris refusing to rewrite the agreement. The prospect of Trump pulling out of the deal has left many West Asian countries concerned.
"I can't say if the US will walk away from the Iran nuclear deal but we have to all work together and strive for Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons," Jordan's foreign minister Ayman al-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.
In March, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told CBS news that his kingdom would "without a doubt" develop nuclear weapons if Iran, Riyadh's arch foe, did so.
Trump has consistently threatened to pull out of the 2015 agreement because it does not address Iran's ballistic missile program or its role in wars in Syria and Yemen, and does not permanently prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
One European diplomat echoed the mood around foreign embassies in Washington, saying "there is plainly a difference of opinion," acknowledging that Trump seems poised to walk away from the accord.
WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES ARE SAYING
Germany and France on Monday vowed to stand by the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers even if the United States pulls out.
"This agreement is not the best one in the world," France's Defence Minister Florence Parly told RTL radio. "But without being perfect, it still has its virtues... and they (the Iranians) are respecting it," she said.
Volker Kauder, head of Merkel's conservatives in parliament, said continued dialogue was needed to avoid isolating Iran.
"That would only further exacerbate the situation in the Middle East," Kauder told reporters in Murnau, where Merkel and other leaders of the coalition government are gathered for a retreat.
Andrea Nahles, head of the Social Democrats, junior partner in the coalition, also warned against a US decision to withdraw from the accord. "The situation is more difficult than ever. Things are falling apart at every corner," she said.
'READY FOR ANY SCENARIO'
Iran has, meanwhile, said that it will not re-negotiate and will resist any American attempt to counter its presence in West Asia. Iran also said that it is ready for any scenario.
"We are ready for any possible scenario... If the United States violates the deal, it would be naive to negotiate with this country again," Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri was quoted as saying by news agency Tasnim.
Iranian officials say all this amounts to a flagrant violation of article 29 of the nuclear deal, which committed the US to ensure "the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran".
The US counters that it never promised to lift non-nuclear sanctions related to issues such as human rights and Iran's missile programme, which were already complicating trade before Trump came to power.