Tremors were felt in Oman after the second major earthquake in the region in eight days.
Dubai Airports took to Twitter to allay concerns that flights had been delayed.
“Passenger operations unaffected by tremors in the UAE, no damage to facilities reported. #Earthquake,” it posted in a tweet.
Meanwhile, in Bahrain, the Minister of Interior said the Chief of Public Security had activated the Disaster Management Centre in response to the earthquake.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake was recorded on the border of Iran and Pakistan at 2.45pm, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The magnitude had earlier been recorded as 7.2.
The quake was felt across Asia, with report of buildings shaking in New Delhi, India, and people running onto the streets. Buildings in Qatar also were evacuated.
The epicentre was 86km from the remote town of Khash in Sistan Baluchistan province.
It follows a powerful earthquake that struck close to Iran’s only nuclear power station on Tuesday last week, killing 37 people and injuring 850 as it destroyed homes and devastated two small villages.
The 6.3-magnitude quake totally destroyed one village, according to a Red Crescent official, but the nearby Bushehr nuclear plant was undamaged, according to Iranian officials and the Russian company that built it.
Hundreds of people are expected to have been killed.
At least 40 people are already confirmed dead, Iranian State News Agency has reported, quoting Iranian Seismological Centre.
56,000 people are believed to live in Khash, where the earthquake struck.
More than 26,000 died in 2003 when a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Iranian city of Bam and the surrounding Kerman province.
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