Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KUWAIT964
2007-06-23 12:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

KUWAITIS SEE INTIMIDATION, RETRIBUTION BEHIND

Tags:  PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4037
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #0964 1741256
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 231256Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9419
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000964 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2027
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
SUBJECT: KUWAITIS SEE INTIMIDATION, RETRIBUTION BEHIND
ATTACK ON KUWAITI DIPLOMAT


Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000964

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2027
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
SUBJECT: KUWAITIS SEE INTIMIDATION, RETRIBUTION BEHIND
ATTACK ON KUWAITI DIPLOMAT


Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) Unknown assailants attacked Mohammad Al-Zo'bi, a low
ranking diplomat at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Tehran, as he was
leaving work on June 19. The Kuwait cabinet convened an
emergency session the same day to discuss the event and the
MFA called Iranian Ambassador Ali Jennati in immediately to
deliver a strongly-worded condemnation of the incident.
According to press reports, MFA Undersecretary Jarallah told
Jennati that the GOK holds Iran responsible for failing to
protect Al-Zo'bi. The Iranian Ambassador assured Jarallah
that the perpetrators did not represent the Iranian
government. He apologized and promised that his government
would launch an investigation.


2. (U) Kuwaitis angrily accused the Iranian government of
complicity since the beating allegedly occured directly in
front of the embassy, which is guarded by Iranian security
forces. The Al-Watan Arabic daily reported that Iranian
security guards initially attempted to intervene to stop the
beating but were stopped by Iranian Revolutionary Guard
(Baseej) forces, who allowed the attackers to beat Al-Zo'bi.
Other newspapers were less conspiratorial in their reporting
of the details, but vigorous in condemning the event. One
columnist wrote in the June 23 edition of the Al-Qabas: "it
is clear the attack comes from a governmental party" and that
it is "official terrorism." The columnist went on to
speculate that radicals in Iran were trying to drive a wedge
between Iran and the Arabs. The Al-Anbaa daily ran a story
on the front page of its June 20 edition quoting an expert
who said that 20 members of an extremist group had carried
out the attack in an attempt to intimidate Kuwait and other
Gulf Arab countries who are cooperating with Iran's enemies
(especially the U.S).


3. (C) MFA Iran desk officer Mansour Al-Olaimi told PolOff
on June 20 that he thought the incident in Tehran was a
reaction to a complaint by an Iranian diplomat in Kuwait who
claimed he had been harassed. In an earlier meeting on June
10 MFA Undersecretary Jarallah told the Ambassador that these
allegations had been raised with Jarallah by the Iranian
Ambassador to Kuwait.

********************************************* *
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