Jerusalem, Nov. 29: Israel reacted calmly on Monday to the release of a massive trove of US diplomatic cables by whistleblower website WikiLeaks, saying they showed the Jewish state’s consistent concern about Iran.
“We come out looking very good,” a senior government official said on condition of anonymity, adding his assessment was only preliminary and came before the full set of leaked documents were released.
The cables “demonstrate that Israel doesn’t speak a double language and that we say in private what we say in public” about the threat of Iran’s nuclear programme, he added.
Many of the documents released so far detail tense discussions between the United States and regional allies over Iran’s nuclear drive, which Tehran says is for peaceful energy purposes but which many suspect masks a weapons drive.
“They confirm that the whole Middle East is terrified by the prospect of a nuclear Iran. The Arab countries are pushing the United States towards military action more forcefully than Israel,” the Israeli official added.
Meanwhile, the Iranian President, Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Monday dismissed documents released by whistleblower WikiLeaks as “worthless” and “mischief” which would not affect Tehran’s relations with its Arab neighbours.
“The documents that they released are a mischief. We do not see any value in them. This act is worthless,” he said at a press conference broadcast live on state TV.
“These documents are prepared and released by the US government in a planned manner and in pursuance of an aim. It is part of an intelligence warfare and will not have their desired political impact.
“We are friends with the regional countries and mischievous acts will not affect relations,” he said.
The cable releases showed that Saudi Arabia had been forthright in calling for Washington to act militarily to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions.