TOP KUWAITI JOURNALIST CLAIMS U.S. TO STRIKE IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000050 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS SUBJECT: TOP KUWAITI JOURNALIST CLAIMS U.S. TO STRIKE IRAN BEFORE APRIL Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (SBU) In a January 14 editorial, one of Kuwait's top journalists asserted that a U.S. strike on Iran would occur before April. Quoting an unnamed "reliable source," Ahmed Al-Jarallah, the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Seyassah (local Arabic daily) and the Arab Times (local English Daily),said top administration officials recently held a meeting in which they discussed in detail plans to attack Iran's oil installations and nuclear facilities. He claimed the recent deployment of a second U.S. aircraft carrier and Patriot missile batteries to the Gulf were part of preparations for the attack, which administration officials believed would "create a new power balance in the region, calm down the situation in Iraq, and pave the way for their democratic project." ¶2. (C/NF) Al-Jarallah has a reputation for publishing provocative front-page editorials. During a January 15 conversation with Poloff, Dr. Sami Al-Faraj, the Director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies, dismissed Al-Jarallah's latest editorial as "sensational." He added that Al-Jarallah's paper, Al-Seyassah, is "not taken seriously in Kuwait." In separate conversations, former Minister of Information Dr. Saad bin Teflah and Kuwait University Political Science Professor Dr. Abdullah Sahar similarly dismissed Al-Jarallah's credibility as a reliable source of information. Nonetheless, the article has created a bit of a stir in Kuwait and Emboffs have been asked a number of questions about it. In what might be a related development, Speaker of Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi warned against a military strike on Iran during a January 14 press conference. ¶3. (C/NF) Comment: Al-Jarallah's article may have been intended to influence the Kuwaiti leadership and public opinion in advance of the GCC 2 meeting being held here this week. Last November, Al-Jarallah wrote similarly provocative editorials about then-current rumors that the Amir was considering dissolving Parliament unconstitutionally. Some suggested at the time that Al-Jarallah was attempting to influence the Amir into making such a move. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron