FOREIGN MINISTER TO DELIVER "TOUGH MESSAGE" TO IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000173 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2017 TAGS: PREL MNUC KNNP PTER BA REGION SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER TO DELIVER "TOUGH MESSAGE" TO IRAN REF: A. JACKSON-BONDY EMAIL OF 2/16/07 ¶B. MANAMA 0117 Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . ¶1. (C) Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa told the Ambassador February 22, in a meeting covering several subjects (septels),that his planned trip to Tehran (Ref B) was now set for February 24. He expects to meet with Foreign Minister Mottaki and President Ahmadi-Nejad. The Ambassador, per the Foreign Minister's request for talking points in Iran, passed to Shaikh Khalid our bottom line on what Iran must do on the nuclear issue (Ref A). Shaikh Khalid asserted that he would deliver a tough message "as a neighbor" that Iran's nuclear program, in particular its insistence on continuing uranium enrichment, is hindering the peace and prosperity of the region. He will tell the Iranians that they must prove to their neighbors that they are responsible. He indicated that he would deliver a letter from King Hamad to Ahmadi-Nejad which states that Iran should deal with the world in a responsible way. ¶2. (C) Shaikh Khalid said Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs Abdul Hussein Mirza would accompany him to Tehran. Mirza will offer the prospect of economic cooperation, but not before Iran resolves its disputes with the international community. Bahrain, he said, will face a shortage of natural gas for domestic industry within the next few years, and if "Iran is not a pariah state," Bahrain could possibly pursue cooperation. Shaikh Khalid said that Kuwait had delivered a similar message. The Ambassador responded that the United States would prefer he not engage at all with Iran but that, if he felt he needed to do so, he should deliver a firm message about the need to address the concerns of the international community. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE