UAE Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi. France is expected to sign a nuclear cooperation accord.

The clock is ticking for President Barack Obama regarding the spread of nuclear power technology in the Middle East. Obama has less than three months to endorse a civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates that was finalized just a few days before George W. Bush left office.

The deal was hailed by the US and the UAE as a framework for future deals to promote peaceful nuclear technology while safeguarding against military uses. But the possibility of more nuclear capability in the Middle East complicates discussions about Iran, which is pushing its own nuclear program.

The UAE has agreed to snap inspection and complete disclosure to the International Atomic Energy Agency and it has promised to forego the nuclear enrichment or reprocessing cycles that could produce weapons-grade material. Iran has not.

Obama would have to send any deal with the UAE to Congress for approval. And it appears that Congress will demand that the UAE be more vigilant in trade matters as the emirate has been implicated in deals that have helped Iran and Pakistan develop their nuclear programs.

The Obama administration will also be pressured by Arab governments and economically by its allies, namely France. The UAE has signed agreements with Paris on nuclear cooperation and its companies Total, Suez-GdF and Areva have agreed to offer two new-generation European Pressurized Reactor plants, which could cost between $4 and $6 billion, according to several estimates. While Iran’s program is also of concern to Arab countries, the UAE needs more electricity options. Its booming economy has led to huge increases in electricity demand and it doesn’t have enough natural gas to meet that power demand.

Even if the nuclear deal is approved, it will likely take 15 years or so before the UAE could begin generating nuclear power. While US and UAE officials have said it could be as soon as 2017, the Arab country lacks even the most basic nuclear research facilities and it will face certain delays over the myriad of proliferation, geopolitical, environmental and regulatory concerns that need to be addressed. That is in stark contrast of Iran’s nearly 5,000 running centrifuges and the scheduled fueling of the country’s first reactor. The Russian-built Bushehr plant is expected to begin operation this year.

Global competition for scarce nuclear know-how may also delay the UAE’s aspirations. With Europe and Asia experiencing a nuclear renaissance and the US ready to follow suit, the industry is facing a shortage of skilled manpower. Thus, even if all goes well with Obama and Congress, the possibility of a nuclear-powered UAE looks to be many years away.