REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNSC: UAE PERSPECTIVE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000257 SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/UN, NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2016 TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL AORC IR AE UN SUBJECT: REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNSC: UAE PERSPECTIVE, RUNNING DOWN THE CLOCK REF: A. SECSTATE 6236 ¶B. ABU DHABI 0103 ¶C. DUBAI 0347 Classified By: DCM Martin Quinn, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On January 25, in the course of delivering demarches on Afghanistan donors conference and Bashar Al-Asad's travel, DCM met with MFA Asst U/S Tariq Al-Haidan and also reviewed ref A points on Iran. Al-Haidan (who formerly served as UAE ambassador in Iran) expressed what has been increasingly vocal concern in UAEG circles about Iran,s nuclear ambitions. DCM mentioned Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ)'s statement in Paris that the UAE is against nuclear capability for Iran or any other program in the Gulf as posing a danger (ref C). ¶2. (C) Al-Haidan said that although Iran had promised the UAE that there would be no problems with Iranian nuclear technology, such as the Russian Chernobyl experience, the UAE was not accepting Iran's guarantees or assurances based on the fact that radiation leakage would affect Iran first. Al-Haidan said the UAE has tried to discourage Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions but to no avail. He said the reason the Iranians are being so stubborn is that they absolutely intend to acquire a weapon for the purpose of "ensuring the existence of the Islamic Republic against foreign enemies for hundreds of years." According to Al-Haidan, for the Iranians it's a matter of "regime survival." ¶3. (C) Iran's strategy, he said, is to run down the clock: "They will talk, talk, talk and meanwhile hope to complete their program." Al-Haidan suggested that the Iranians were hoping to have a nuclear weapon within a year and at that point they would switch tactics and say, "We have it now. Don't come near us." ¶4. (C) While Al-Haidan said the UAE is not afraid of being attacked by Iran, it is very worried that action by the U.S. or Israel against the Iranian nuclear plant could result in an Iranian response that will affect the UAE -- in particular its oil facilities. As a powerful country, he said, Iran could launch rockets at its neighbors or even close the Straits of Hormuz to tanker traffic. SISON