WikiLeaks exposé: Saudis told U.S. 'Cut off the head of the snake' on Iran
Diplomatic cables to U.S. officials quote leaders of mainly Sunni Arab states urging Iranian nuclear program be stopped 'by whatever means necessary'.
By Reuters Tags: WikiLeaks Saudi Arabia Iran Israel newsKing Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly exhorted the United States to "cut off the head of the snake" by launching military strikes to destroy Iran's nuclear program, according to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables.
A copy of the cable dated April 20, 2008, was published in the New York Times website on Sunday after being released by the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. The classified communication between the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and Washington showed the Saudis feared Shi'ite Iran's rising influence in the region, particularly in neighboring Iraq.
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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
| Photo by: AP |
The United States has repeatedly said that the military option is on the table, but at the same time U.S. military chiefs have made clear they view it as a last resort, fearing it could ignite wider conflict in the Middle East.
The April 2008 cable detailed a meeting between General David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, and then U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and King Abdullah and other Saudi princes.
At the meeting, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir "recalled the King's frequent exhortations to the U.S. to attack Iran and so put an end to its nuclear weapons program," the cable said.
"He told you to cut off the head of the snake," Jubeir was reported to have said.
The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, however, pushed for tougher sanctions instead, including a travel ban and further restrictions on bank lending, although he did not rule out the need for military action.
The WikiLeaks documents also show U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates believes any military strike on Iran would only delay its pursuit of a nuclear weapon by one to three years, the Times reported.
'Iran nuclear program must be stopped'
Saudi Arabia, one of the world's top oil producers, is concerned about Iran's growing military strength. The United States announced last month that it plans to sell the kingdom $60 billion worth of military aircraft to help it bolster its defenses.
Britain's Guardian newspaper, one of a number of publications to have had access to the leaked diplomatic cables, said the communications also showed that other Arab allies have secretly agitated for action against Tehran over its disputed nuclear program.
The Guardian quotes documents that show officials in Jordan and Bahrain “openly calling for Iran's nuclear program to be stopped by any means, including military.” The British daily also says leaders in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt called Iran "evil," and an "existential threat" which "is going to take us to war."
Another cable, sent from the U.S. Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, on Nov. 4, 2009, detailed a meeting between Petraeus and King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, whose kingdom is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth fleet. Like Saudi Arabia it is a Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom.
King Hamad argued "forcefully for taking action to terminate (Iran's) nuclear program, by whatever means necessary," the cable said.
"That program must be stopped," he was quoted as saying. "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it."
Iran denies its nuclear program is a cover to build a nuclear bomb and says it is purely for peaceful purposes.
A UN Security Council resolution passed in June, imposing a fourth round of sanctions, renewed a call on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, something Tehran has explicitly refused to do, saying such activity is its right under international law.
The top U.S. military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, said in comments released on Friday that the U.S. military has been thinking about military options on Iran "for a significant period of time", but he stressed that diplomacy remained the focus of U.S. efforts.
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That means that now Israel has a new daddy. Go over to Saudi Arabia. Let them give your their money and help you invade Iran. We Americans are sick and tired of your shenanigans and we need our money. We're broke, you know? So, scoot on over to Saudi Arabia. We promise we won't miss you.
The urging USA by K S A and other Sunni Arab States to to stop Iran nuclear program indicates that Arab Kings are failure to win the people's heart.
I'm pretty sure it does. Unfortunately, Obama is no leader and worse, he favors muslims, making his lack of decision all the worse, the perception of Obama's weakness is apparent, he cannot help his friends, ( the Saudi's ) and, harms America's only trusted ME ally, Israel by pressuring Israel, all, unnecessarily. The more we know, the worse it gets..
"The King told General Jones that Iranian internal turmoil presented an opportunity to weaken the regime -- which he encouraged -- but he also urged that this be done covertly and stressed that public statements in support of the reformers were counterproductive." - Cable 10RIYADH178, 2010-02-11
"3. (S) Alwahbi strongly advised against taking military action to neutralize Iran's program. Rather, establishing a US-Iranian dialogue was the best course of action, asserting that the USG opening an Interest Section or re-opening our Embassy in Tehran would be positive step." - Cable 08RIYADH1134, SAUDIS ON IRAN, 2008-07-22 The press is latching on to a few 'sound bites' and ignoring the overwhelming bulk of the material.
Dear Saudi King, Why should the USA attack Iran? 9/11 was perpetrated by Saudi financed Al Qaeda terrorists and not by Iranian connections. If we attack Iran you will not need the massive arms we will be selling you.
A few European states think they don't want nukes 'yet', but the infrastructure to produce one as quickly as possible, if given the order. Overall it's very pessimistic.
That no one has any evidence. The concern that Iran is developing a 'Break-out' capability is real and must be addressed. The assumption that there is a program is not backed with any evidence.
Can they all be wrong????
The only nation in the world that is 'terrified' of Iran is Israel. Bahrain is very concerned: "4.(C) IRAN: King Hamad pointed to Iran as the source of much of the trouble in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He argued forcefully for taking action to terminate their nuclear program, by whatever means necessary. "That program must be stopped," he said. "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it." - cable 09MANAMA642, GENERAL PETRAEUS WITH KING HAMAD
The only nation in the world that is 'terrified' of Iran is Israel. Bahrain is very concerned: "4.(C) IRAN: King Hamad pointed to Iran as the source of much of the trouble in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He argued forcefully for taking action to terminate their nuclear program, by whatever means necessary. "That program must be stopped," he said. "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it." - cable 09MANAMA642, GENERAL PETRAEUS WITH KING HAMAD
Judging by all I've read, every Gulf state wanted the US to "do something," but none had a valid strategy or an exit strategy. So Bush, and so far Obama, have both said, "no." The myth that is streets of the US are paved with gold and that there is an unlimited willingness of American kids to go out and die for the cause is apparently pervasive. But it is just a myth. Our missile shield is all that is likely. Guess our diplomats need to make that a lot more clear.
iran has a historical past of power and wisdom. israel does not.
Iran at least is investing in the technical development of its country ... i dont by this mean building lavish palaces, cars made with diamonds. The saudi royals are simply a mafia organisation whose goal is to keep its people in the stone age while they steal the wealth of the country. If i was an Iranian i would be proud in the direction my country is heading , i would not feel the same if i was i Saudi. The head of the snake are the Saudi Royals ... and it should be blanc blanc blanc
this is story of conspiracy just to divide the Muslims more on the ground of Shia and Sunni its the conspiracy game by both Americans and Israelis, we Muslims as to be very careful about this and not to get carried by these type of stories.
Jews divided Muslims into Sunni and Shias. And Mohammad was Mossad agent. EVERYONE knows this!
I did not believe that the Shah Abdullah think so. It is a trap for the Muslim and they want to create distance between Muslims
If you read NY Times editorials along with several of their columnists such as Roger Cohen, and of course much of the left-wing media, the story line has been "master manipulator and aggressive paranoid (fill in the blank: Israel, Netanyahu) is trying to goad the US into plunging the world into war to do Israel's dirty work vis a vis Iran." Now these leaks reveal that Arab governments have been exhorting the US to strike Iran even more so than Israel, and that Israel's paranoia is not so paranoid after all. I wonder how many of the knee-jerk anti-Israel types will realize what is before their eyes, or if their narrowness will still prevent them from missing it. And I wonder how many of these types, including the UNHRC, will still automatically accuse Israel of the usual war crime if it strikes or detains a Gaza "ambulance," when these leaks reveal how the whole Iran/Hezbollah/Hamas complex uses the Red Crescent and medical shipments as cover for arms shipments?
In fact, bashing Israel is mostly a smokescreen used by Iranians to keep the Arab street happy and delusional while Iran is promoting its imperialist goals. Looks like the Arab leaders (unlike the Arab street) also understand it.
Why cant we ever see peace in this world ???? Saudi kings were planted by Brits & also the Wahabism which is the biggest problem in the world today bcoz of there extreme Islamic views & now there are trying to use USA to attack another country !!! shame on you all wahabi , Saudi terrorists and i hope we all speak against them !!!
Too bad Israel hasn't managed to stop dwelling in the past...so that it can build towards the future. Ahhhh...but of course, Israel has no partner for peace; right?
The US should deliver the equipment to Saudia Arabia and let her handle the problem with Iran. The US would avoid the problem and selling instead of giving military equipment would help the US budget.
and that they are both fringe states run by Religious Lunatics.
It is very clear that both nations are run by cowards who want America to fight their battles for them. The USS leaned about fighting for cowards who would not fight for themselves in Vietnam.
you of all people know that Israel is held back by, The USA Europe Russians etc....from attacking Iran's nuclear program. History will tell you that Israel always fights it's own battles. as for the saudis? well,... I don't know.
you of all people know that Israel is held back by, The USA Europe Russians etc....from attacking Iran's nuclear program. History will tell you that Israel always fights it's own battles. as for the saudis? well,... I don't know.
But that the strike would not work. Are your troops practicing amphibious assault?
Can someone expect the Wahabis from being OK with anything Iran does? It goes the other way around as well. They both fuel themselves up with the presence of the other side...
9/11 - 19 Saudi Nationals fly into WTC 2010 - Wikileaks reveals Abdullah is begging the US to attack Iran.
The USA, particularly Ronald Reagan, is just as guilty of creating, arming, and financing Al Queada as the House of Saud. Sane nations do not wind up lunatics and release them on the world. The USA and Saudi did.
Why not concentrate on the common grounds and work towards building some trust for peace . A strike on Iran's nuclear plants will be very good for everyone , I don't understand what Israel is waiting for ? Until it's to late or may be looking for USA to take the lead which they will never do ..
Something we agree on, maybe we should start working together Arab and Israeli and stop Iran together. Would you be willing to fight side by side with an Israeli?
that the Arabs would prefer Israel remain the only nuclear power in the Middle East rather than Iran becoming one as well. I can't believe they're that dumb.
Iran is not an Arab nation. it is Persian.
They are completely logical. Israel does not threaten anyone of their regimes. Moreover, Israel is a partenaire to all moderate Arab regimes. It is Iran that wants a revolution in Baharein and wants to undermine the Arab Gulf countries. THose countries as it it is crystal clear are the most intrerested in bombing Iran. Next Europe and the United States. All of them understand that they are confronting some kind of Hitler.
It is not all the Arabs as you claim ... they are handfull of Arab leaders the likes of the Saudi royals, Mubarak of Eygpt, King of Jordan and most recently Abbas. These leaders have one thing in common, they enjoy the full protection of their bosses the Americans. They serve the interests of the Americans and the Zionists instead of their own people. The masses on the streets dont support them.
the Arab states have no reason to fear Israel. We just want to live in our borders and be left alone and all of them know that. The only reason we have a conflict with the Arabs is because the Arabs do not recognize Israel's right to exist. Everyone knows Iran is the real threat to peace, but perpetuating myths of Arab brotherhood doesn't help the Palestinians, it helps keep Arab dictators in power...
The one unifying factor between the Arab/Muslim countries is it's retoric against Israel. There have been more wars between arab/muslim countries than there have been with Israel. I honestly believe that they realise this, and do not strive for Israels destruction. Were they to, I think that they could inflict far more damage. On a side note, Israel can't harm most countries in the ME. It has no long-range airplanes or missles, therefore wouldn't be able to hit any country not bordering it. Iran would be almost impossible to hit, since Israeli planes would have to refuel at least once if they wanted to hit it. Moreover, if Israel does have a nuke, it is not a warhead mounted nuke. Nuclear warheads are far more difficult to explode in motion than when stationary, and require a lot of testing.
If there will ever be a war between s.arabia and iran i will be fighting on irans side! Hope this disgusting ''kingdom'' will be crushed soon!
I dream that today could be a turning point in history... When the leaders of Arab countries turn to their people and finally say the truth- Israel is not the enemy. These cables re-enforce what we already knew; that 'moderate' Arab states have been saying this in private for years.The next step is to take it public and enlighten your people with the truth.
its funny how so many people think that moderate means "on our side".
You must realize that the corrupt elites arab leaders doesnt correlate with the arabian people, in fact Arabs in general favor a nuclear Iran, and say that Israel is the biggest threat to world peace.
Sorry but you dream wrong. You will never hear many Arabs, moderate or liberal, whom will think, or say that Israel is not the real enemy.
Nice post! Iran is not an Arab state however. A friend in Israel