DUBAI – With less than a week to go until the start of a new round of nuclear talks in Geneva between Iran and the 5+1 powers, the November 28 release by WikiLeaks of important documents on Iran has shed light on the feelings and intentions of many Middle Eastern countries towards the Islamic Republic. According to WikiLeaks, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar have secretly asked US officials to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, in spite of their public statements against a military strike. The Gulf countries have remained largely silent since the latest WikiLeaks. Iran's state media, like those in neighbouring Arab countries, have largely chosen not to discuss the WikiLeaks information publicly. Nevertheless, the Iranian regime has probably been long aware of the duplicitous decision of many of its Arab neighbours to publicly stand against a military attack against Iran while privately advocating one. By continuing with business as usual and deciding not to react to the WikiLeaks revelations, the Islamic Republic has sought to minimise tension with its Arab neighbours. Nevertheless, it was certainly very useful for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration to see the plots and calculations of an enemy – the United States – exposed to the world. Knowing exactly what is on Washington's mind regarding so many of its allies (ranging from the European Union, Russia and China to the small Gulf Arab states) will perhaps allow Iran to be better prepared for its next meeting with the 5+1 in Geneva. Iranian officials are unlikely to react to the WikiLeaks report, as they believe the enmity of some Arab states is merely temporary. But while the documents revealed by WikiLeaks have delighted the Ahmadinejad government, the Iranian public have been shocked to see so many of Iran's 'younger' neighbours such as the UAE (which has only existed since 1971), who once received the aides of the late Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, now hoping and praying for the United States or Israel to destroy Iran. Amazingly, the documents released on WikiLeaks didn't contain any information about Egypt's position on Iran and its nuclear programme, although President Hosni Mubarak told the Americans that he “can't trust Iranians”! It may not be blatantly obvious, but President Ahmadinejad has tried very hard during the past four or so years to end the bitter relations with the US and Egypt. Repeatedly conveying a wish to have an Iranian embassy open in Cairo, congratulating US President Barack Obama on his election and inviting him to engage in a televised debate, are all signs that Ahmadinejad will continue to try and change Iran's relations with these countries. Though numerous Middle East leaders, such as military leaders in the UAE, have been cited by WikiLeaks as saying that Iran's president is “unbalanced, even crazy”, this doesn't change the fact that, despite his risk-taking in the international arena, Ahmadinejad has a well-calculated agenda. He knows well that Iran needs to grow closer to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in order to grow closer to all Arab states. Iran also needs to grow closer to the US, in order to break down economic sanctions and overcome so many of the political and economic problems it has endured over the past 30 years. The quotation attributed by WikiLeaks to Crown Prince bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi was therefore cute and, ironically, appropriate. “Any culture that is patient and focused enough to spend years working on a single carpet is capable of waiting years and even decades to achieve even greater goals,” he said. It may be that Iran's goal today is none other than seeing Ahmadinejad in Cairo and at the White House in Washington, shaking hands with the presidents of Egypt and the United States.
