The State of Qatar says the Barakah nuclear plant under construction in the United Arab Emirates poses a serious threat to regional stability and the environment and has called on the IAEA to create a framework for nuclear security in the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia plans to award a construction contract for its first nuclear reactors by the end of 2018, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Iran could abandon its nuclear agreement with world powers "within hours" if the United States imposes any more new sanctions, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.

The commercial start-up of the first of four nuclear reactors that South Korea's KEPCO is building in United Arab Emirates is set to be delayed because the local operating company is not ready to run the reactors, a nuclear industry source said.