Released to several news outlets on Sunday, the leaked cables purportedly reveal that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and Bahrain’s King Hamad have specifically asked Washington to stop Iran as the nation poses danger to its neighbors and the world in general.
“That program must be stopped. The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it,” Bahrain’s Hamad reportedly told U.S. Gen. David Petraeus in a meeting on November 4, 2009. Saudi’s King Abdullah, on the other hand, has repeatedly asked the U.S. to take military action against Iran. “He told you to cut off the head of the snake,” a Saudi ambassador reportedly said in a 2008 meeting with U.S. officials.
While Saudi and Bahrain are supportive of a military action against Iran, the United Arab Emirates would rather resort to diplomacy rather than bring another war to the Mideast, the cables claim. “Although the UAE regards Iran as one of its most serious threats to national security, UAE officials are reluctant to take actions that could provoke their neighbor and compromise their extensive trading relationship,” Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and his brother reportedly told U.S. officials.
