Content from the United States diplomatic cables leak has depictedIran and related subjects extensively. The leak, which began on 28 November 2010, occurred when the website ofWikiLeaks—an internationalnew medianon-profit organisation that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymousnews sources andnews leaks—started to publish classified documents of detailed correspondence—diplomatic cables—between theUnited States Department of State and its diplomatic missions around the world.
The cables suggest an American feeling of strongdistrust by Arab government leaders forIran, and encouragement from pro-U.S. Arab leaders for a military strike on thenuclear facilities in Iran.[1][2][3] Saudi King Abdullah has repeatedly urged the U.S. to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.[4] In one diplomatic cable, King Abdullah said it was necessary to "cut the head of the snake", in reference to Iran's nuclear program. This remains problematic, as many Arab leaders have refrained from publicly criticizing Iran, due to popular support for the country.[1][5]
Muhammad bin Zayed,Crown Prince ofAbu Dhabi, urged the U.S. not toappeaseTehran and said thatIranian President "[Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad isHitler".[6]
KingHamad of Bahrain was quoted in 2009 as saying, "[theIranian nuclear program] must be stopped. The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it."[5][6]
Major-GeneralMuhammad al-Assar, assistant toEgyptian Defense MinisterMohamed Hussein Tantawi, was quoted in 2009 saying that "Egypt views Iran as a threat to the region".[6]
U.S. intelligence has assessed that Iran obtained fromNorth Korea advanced missiles (derived from aSoviet design) that are more powerful than publicly admitted by the U.S. to be in Iran's possession.[7] These missiles, designated theBM-25, have a range of up to 2,000 miles (3,200 km).[5][7]
The United States suggested there had been a rift between Ahmadinejad andRevolutionary Guards commanderMohammad Ali Jafari. It cited an incident during aSupreme National Security Council meeting when Ahmadinejad stated (in regards to dealing with opposition protests) that "'people feel suffocated,' and mused that to defuse the situation it may be necessary to allow more personal and social freedoms, including more freedom of the press" to which Jafari replied "You are wrong! [In fact] it isyou who created this mess! And now you say give more freedom to the press?!;" he then allegedly slapped Ahmadinejad in the face. An uproar ensued and the SNSC meeting was called off, until AyatollahAhmad Jannati reconciled the two.[8]
There are also reports that the long-bannedTudeh Party is gaining ground with the government employees and the working-class population, and that they were reportedly the driving force behind recent strikes.[8]
An unidentified ally of former Iranian PresidentAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani stated thatSupreme LeaderAli Khamenei has terminalleukemia and is expected to die in months, and Rafsanjani's unwillingness to act after the disputed2009 Iranian presidential election comes from his wish to succeed Khamenei and annul Ahmadinejad's election afterwards.[9]
Reports that theIranian Red Crescent Society was alleged to be actively controlled by the government and was involved in illicit arms smuggling and intelligence gathering on behalf of Iran.[10][11]
A cable from the U.S. State Department indicated that the U.S. was pushing for co-operation from its allies to impose further sanctions on Iran in response to its nuclear program.[12]
Jim Judd, former director of theCanadian Security Intelligence Service told U.S. State Department officialEliot A. Cohen that "he and his colleagues are 'very, very worried' about Iran." CSIS had talked recently to Iran'sMinistry of Intelligence and Security after they requested its own "channel of communication to Canada". The Iranians had agreed to "help" with theWar in Afghanistan, including sharing information regarding potential attacks, although they declined the offer. Judd also noted that "we have not figured out what they are up to," adding that it was clear the Iranians wanted the NATO military force in Afghanistan to "bleed slowly."[13][14]
According to a cable sent from the U.S. embassy inBaku,Azerbaijan, in 2009, there is a "widespread rumor" that many Iranians in Baku conduct in illicit activities and that these activities are tied to Iran. These activities include sanctions-busting, money laundering, obtaining spare parts, equipment and revenue generation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and management ofnarcotics trafficking originating from Iran. The cable mentions that many Iranians residing in Baku from different backgrounds, including students, business figures, and human rights activists are involved in these activities.[15]
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