US President Barack Obama is coming under increasing criticism from American politicians over a proposed deal to lift sanctions on Iran, amid concerns that it could threaten other countries in the Gulf, including Bahrain.

Republicans, in particular, have expressed concern that it could pave the way for Iran to further destabilise the region and push forward with its weapons development programme, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Iran tentatively agreed last month to open up its nuclear programme to greater scrutiny as part of the deal, which would require it to commit to curbing nuclear weapons manufacturing activities in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

However, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has since set conditions - declaring military sites off limits to foreigners under the pretext of inspections.

President Obama will meet GCC leaders at Camp David today for talks that are expected to include regional conflicts, as well as the proposed lifting of sanctions on Iran.

But not everyone in the US is behind the deal with Iran and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Brush, the brother of former US President George W Bush, told Fox News on Tuesday that he would overrule it if elected.

"Name a country where America's prestige or relationship is better today than the day President Obama took office," he said.

"I can think of two: Cuba and Iran.

"It's hard to know what the sanctions will do.

"If you assume that sanctions will be lifted, if you assume that there will be an agreement, if you assume that the verification is probably weak, if you assume that nothing will stop the Iranians from continuing to try to undermine the region, if you assume that they're going to build, as I say they are, anti-defence missile system, if you assume that their missile launch capability continues to improve, then we've got a big mess left because of this incredibly weak president who I think is maybe negotiating in faith, but is not getting a good deal."

Bahrain will be represented at the Camp David talks by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier.

There has been speculation that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is not taking part because of the Iranian deal.

However, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubair has denied his absence was due to disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the US, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attending in King Salman's place.

Countries that make up the P5+1(China, France, Russia, UK and the US, plus Germany) are trying to finalise a nuclear deal with Iran in Vienna by the end of next month.

However, there are fears that the lifting of sanctions could pose a serious threat to Gulf countries, especially given Iranian interference in GCC member states including Bahrain, where it is accused of supporting and training violent anti-government radicals. Iran is also supporting Houthis in Yemen, backing forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and has close links with terrorist movement Hizbollah.

"Even if Iran never moves forward with nuclear-armed missiles, it is seeking to develop precision-guided conventional missiles that can attack key military, civil, infrastructure and petroleum targets," Abdullah Toukan, a senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg on Saturday.

Meanwhile, another Republican politician Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker voiced his opposition to the deal in The Wall Street Journal. "We need a president who is going to back away from that deal in Iran," he said.

"We need a president who will affirm that Israel is our ally and start acting like it."

Former US President George W Bush on April 25 also launched a scathing attack on the Iran deal, which he warned would lead to further chaos in the Middle East.

"You think the Middle East is chaotic now?" he asked, according to Bloomberg.

"Imagine what it looks like for our grandchildren.

"That's how Americans should view the deal."

He also suggested that the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in June 2013 did not mean there had been a change in Tehran's foreign policy.

"He's smooth and you've got to ask yourself is there a new policy or did they just change the spokesman," he said. - TradeArabia News Service