Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned US officials about what he says could become an unintended escalation of conflict in the Persian Gulf.

"We need to make sure that we don’t end up putting Iran back on the path to re-nuclearisation,” he told reporters on Monday, before meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and EU foreign ministers.

The meeting was scheduled to reportedly discuss the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East shortly after Donald Trump ordered US warplanes and an aircraft carrier to the increasingly unstable region.

“We are very worried about a conflict, and the risk of a conflict … of an escalation that is unintended,” Mr Hunt said after arriving in Brussels, according to Reuters.

Mr Hunt also called for “a period of calm so that everyone understands what the other side is thinking.”

Revolution in Iran: In pictures Show all 11 1 /11 Revolution in Iran: In pictures Revolution in Iran: In pictures A demonstration against the Shah in 1979 Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Armed women on guard in one of the main squares in Tehran at the beginning of the Iranian Revolution Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Demonstrators hold a poster of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in January 1979, in Tehran, during a demonstration against the Shah AFP/Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Iranian rebels pose with a U.S. flag they bayonetted upside down on trees at Sultanabad Garrison northeast of Tehran on February 12 2019 AP Revolution in Iran: In pictures A gun battle in Khorramshahr during the revolution, 1979 Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Ayatollah Khomeini's supporters demonstrate in the streets of Tehran against the Shah among tear gas. The "black friday" caused the death of 200 people according to the Iranian government, 2000 according to the opposition, September 8 1978 AFP/Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Women wearing the traditional Chador demonstrate in the streets of Tehran against the Shah on September 7 1978 AFP/Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Demonstrators in Tehran calling for the replacement of the Shah of Iran during the Iranian Revolution, 1979. They carry placards depicting Ayatollah Mahmoud Talaghani, one of the leading revolutionaries Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Ayatollah Khomeini's supporters demonstrate in the streets of Tehran against the Shah. The "black friday" caused the death of 200 people according to the Iranian government, 2000 according to the opposition, September 8 1978 AFP/Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures Thousands of the Ayatollah Khomeini's supporters on the streets of Tehran calling for the religious leader's return in January 1979 Getty Revolution in Iran: In pictures The Iranian Islamic Republic Army demonstrates in solidarity with people in the street during the Iranian revolution. They are carrying posters of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian religious and political leader Getty

Despite US efforts to dismantle the Iran Nuclear Deal under Mr Trump, EU and German officials said on Monday they remained committed to the pact — so long as Iran continued complying with international inspections.

“No one wants Iran to be in possession of a nuclear bomb,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, describing the deal as “necessary for our security.”

The EU has reportedly faced difficulties establishing a process for Iran to continue selling its oil under recent US sanctions.

Additional details surrounding the bilateral meetings on Monday were not immediately clear.

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Iran, meanwhile, has decried the Trump administration’s move to send bombers to the region, saying it amounts to “psychological warfare.”