The possible sale a US missile system to Saudi Arabia will escalate tensions in the Middle East and benefit the American military-industrial complex, says a journalist and political commentator in Canada.

The US State Department�s approval to sell 600 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles to Riyadh �will force other countries to buy weapons to match them� and �you end up escalating things and it runs out of control,� Edward Corrigan told Press TV on Thursday.

The potential multi-billion sale will cause �huge distortion in terms of the economy, in terms of money, in terms of campaign finances all coming from these large corporation that benefit from the military-industrial complex,� Corrigan said.

�This is what President [Dwight] Eisenhower of the United States said back in the 1950s is the biggest threat to the United States and threat to democracy,� he added.

On Wednesday, the proposed sales of Patriot interceptor missiles to Saudi Arabia, and aircraft counter-measure systems to the United Arab Emirates, were approved by the State Department.

US officials said the Foreign Military Sales program, which has a combined worth of over $5.7 billion, would "contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States" by helping key allies.

Saudi Arabia was the world�s largest importer of weapons in 2014, mainly purchasing arms from the United States, according to an arms trade report.

According to the Global Defense Trade Report, Saudi Arabia spent over $6.4 billion on weapons purchases in 2014, putting India in the second place.

Meanwhile, the United States has been the biggest beneficiary of the rising Middle Eastern weapons market, with $8.4 billion of arms exports to the region last year, up from $6 billion in 2013.

Worldwide, the US arms exports surged 19 percent to $23.7 billion, accounting for one-third of all weapons exports.

By Press TV