REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 000390 E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2015 TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL AORC SA IR SUBJECT: REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL REF: STATE 6236 Classified By: Ambassador James C. Oberwetter for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Ambassador met with SAG U/S for Political Affairs Prince Turki Saud al-Kabir on January 28 to deliver reftel points and paper. (Note: FM Prince Saud al-Faisal was accompanying King Abdullah on four-country Asian travel and is not expected back in the Kingdom until 2/5.) Ambassador stressed that the impasse with Iran affected the entire international community, including Saudi Arabia, and urged Saudi public support for Iran's imminent referral to the UNSC. U/S Turki replied that Saudi Arabia was "very concerned" with Iranian nuclear ambitions, and the threat that they would set of a chain of regional proliferation. Turki noted that the SAG also opposed Israel's possession of nuclear weapons, but that this did not mean that Iran's quest to obtain weapons was not a major problem. "Such a development will mean there are now two nuclear powers in the Middle East - then where does it stop?" ¶2. (C) U/S Turki added that Iran was only a short distance from Saudi Arabia, and stressed the potential economic and environmental threat to the KSA by Iranian nuclear technology. U/S Turki noted that even a nuclear accident at Bushehr - let alone the threat of nuclear weapons - could have a devastating impact on the Persian Gulf shoreline of Saudi Arabia where a vast array of industrial, energy and water desalinization facilites are based. "What if there's another Chernobyl?", he asked. ¶3. (C) U/S Turki viewed Iran's nuclear ambitions, as well as its actions in Iraq as proof of its ambition to become a regional superpower, which he said threatened both U.S. and Saudi interests. U/S Turki then asked whether UNSC referral meant economic sanctions or military action would follow. Ambassador replied that the referral was intended to intensify the international community's diplomatic efforts to dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons technology. Future developments would depend on Iran taking the appropriate steps to assure the world of its peaceful intentions. ¶4. (C) Comment: U/S Turki did not at this point commit the SAG to publicly supporting the UNSC referral. He listened attentively, however, and later in the conversation, during discussions of Iranian involvement in Iraq, noted that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia should have "joint counter-initiatives" to respond to Iran in a general sense. He made a point of ensuring we left behind reftel non-paper, which he said he would review closely. OBERWETTER