The most intensely debated documents released by WikiLeaks last week were about what some of the Arab rulers think of Iran and its nuclear program. According to the documents, many of the Arab leaders have been privately urging the United States to attack Iran while publicly claiming that they oppose such attack. In an April 2008 cable, Adel A. al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., is quoted regarding Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and his “frequent exhortations to the U.S. to attack Iran and thus put an end to its nuclear weapon program,” urging the U.S. “to cut off the head of the snake.” United Arab Emirates (UAE) Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is quoted in a July 2009 memo as saying that “[Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad is Hitler” and urging the U.S. not to “appease” Iran, echoing the views of Israel’s Likud Party.
