Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear program

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program, newsru.co.il reports citing WikiLeaks materials.

The Saudi king was recorded as having "frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons program," one cable stated. "He told you [Americans] to cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi Ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report on Abdullah's meeting with the US general David Petraeus in April 2008.

The cables also highlight Israel's anxiety to preserve its regional nuclear monopoly, its readiness to go it alone against Iran – and its unstinting attempts to influence American policy. The Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, estimated in June 2009 that there was a window of "between six and 18 months from now in which stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons might still be viable". After that, Barak said, "any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage."