Barack Obama is set to veto a bill that would allow the survivors and victims of 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia.

In his daily briefing to reporters, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: "It's not hard to imagine other countries using this law as an excuse to haul US diplomats or US service members or even US companies into courts all around the world.

"I do anticipate the president would veto this legislation when it is presented to him."

On Friday, the House of Representatives approved a bill passed by the Senate in May which would allow the families of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Pennsylvania on 11 September 2001 to sue for damages.

Fifteen of the 19 men who hijacked four planes and flew them into targets in New York and Washington in 2001 were Saudi citizens, though Riyadh has always denied having any role in the attacks.

9/11 remembered 15 years on

Families of the victims have filed various lawsuits directed at members of the Saudi royal family and charities associated with them, accusing them of allegedly supporting terrorism.

But these moves have been blocked by a 1976 law which gives foreign nations immunity from lawsuits in US courts.

In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush was visiting Emma E Brooker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida as news of the attack on the World Trade Center broke In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president and his staff, including Press Secretary Ari Fleischer (L) were then brought to a holding room at the school, where he prepared to address the nation In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush was then rushed onto Air Force One and was flown to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He watched television coverage of the attacks from his office on the plane In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush talks on the telephone at the General Dougherty Conference Center at Barksdale Air Force Base In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush is seen with his senior adviser Karl Rove at Barksdale Air Force Base In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card at Barksdale Air Force Base. Before leaving the base, the president held a press conference at which he said, “Make no mistake: The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts” In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president was consoled by Lt Col Cindy Wright of the White House Military Office aboard Air Force One. After leaving Louisiana, the president was flown to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska before he headed back to Washington In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush arrived at the White House Presidential Emergency Operations Center around 7 pm. Here he is shown with his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, Vice President Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 At 8:30 pm, the president addressed the nation from the White House. In his speech, he set the tone for the wars to come in Afghanistan and Iraq In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 “I’ve directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice,” the president said. “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them” In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president’s speech on the teleprompter In pictures: President Bush’s immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 Immediately following the speech, the president had a national security meeting with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and others

The bill is designed to create an exception if foreign countries are found at least partially responsible for terror attacks which kill American citizens within the US.

Under the US Constitution, Mr Obama has 10 days to veto the bill or it automatically becomes law but congressional aides claim the measure has enough support, two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House, for them to override the Presidential veto for the first time since Mr Obama came to power in January 2009.