Content from the United States diplomatic cables leak has depicted the United States' opinion of the Middle East-related subjects extensively. WikiLeaks has published these classified documents, diplomatic cables, between the United States Department of State and its diplomatic missions around the world. Many previously unknown statements or opinions about a variety of Middle Eastern topics have been revealed.

Algeria In a cable dated 17 December 2007, to the US Secretary of State, the US Ambassador to Algeria, Robert Ford, summarized how former government officials, opposition leaders, and journalists "paint a picture of an Algerian regime that is fragile in ways it has not been before, plagued by a lack of vision, unprecedented levels of corruption and rumblings of division within the military rank and file".

Bahrain In cables dated between 16 February 2005 and 17 February 2009, the topics covered included threats to Arab solidarity, the assassination of Hariri, and Bahrain's desire to increase its television broadcasting capabilities.

Iran and Qatar conspiring to divide Arab interests The Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain expressed worries that Iran is conspiring with Qatar, Hezbollah and Hamas to split Arab solidarity. Bahrain and other Arab governments lashed out at media reports that an Iranian official described Bahrain as "Iran's fourteenth province".

Hariri assassination blame falls on Syria King Hamad had no doubt that Syria was behind the assassination of Rafic Hariri.

Bahrain wants to develop its TV/Radio capability King Hamad said that he instructed Bahrain's minister of information Abdul-Ghaffar to seek help from the US to help Bahrain turn its television broadcasting into a world class operation.

Egypt In cables dated between 2008 and 2009, opinions are expressed on the declining state of the Egyptian military and the unwillingness of the Defense Minister Tantawi to accede to US suggestions of Egyptian human rights reform in return for US economic aid. They also touch on over a billion dollars' worth of military hardware sold to Egypt, to ensure peace with Israel as well as "priority access to the Suez canal and Egyptian airspace". They also include issues regarding the Iraq war and Egypt-Iran relations.

Defense Minister Tantawi Defense Minister Tantawi was credited for his cooperation with Israel and helping maintain the blockade against Hamas, stating that the eighty-year-old veteran of five wars with Israel remains uninterested in another conflict. However, he was described as being extremely change resistant, uncooperative even with his own generals, and cannot comprehend with the post Camp David military paradigm which puts him, as well as his entire Soviet trained leadership, at odds with the younger, American Trained, generation of the Egyptian Military. Even mid-level officers at MOD clubs around Cairo openly complain about Tantawi (who is nicknamed "Mubarak's Poodle"), claiming that he is "running the military into the ground" and that he only has his job due to his unwavering loyalty to Mubarak. His inability to deal with the post 9/11 world is evident through his preference of spending U.S. aid on advanced tanks and fighter jets to fight old-fashioned, large-scale wars, something that continues to annoy David Petraeus. His views were summarized as being opposed to political or economic reform, willing to use the army to curb the Muslim Brotherhood, and rejecting U.S. efforts to condition economic aid on any human-rights reform.

Iraq War Former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak told the US to find a "fair dictator" to rule Iraq. He explains, "Strengthen the Iraqi armed forces, relax your hold, and then you will have a coup. Then we will have a dictator, but a fair one."Staff writer (1 December 2010). "fair-dictator"-to-Iraq.html "WikiLeaks: Mubarak Advises US To Find 'Fair Dictator' to Iraq" . Al Sumaria. Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Egypt-Iran relations Mubarak expressed animosity toward Iran in private meetings, saying the Iranian leaders are "big, fat liars", and that Iran's backing of terrorism is "well-known".Fleishman, Jeffrey (29 November 2010). "WikiLeaks: Diplomatic Cables Show Egyptian Leader's Acrimony with Iran — The Memos Also Indicate President Hosni Mubarak's Resentment over US Complaints About His Human Rights Record and His Delight in Telling Visiting Congress Members 'I Told You So' Regarding His Warning About Invading Iraq.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 December 2010. According to one US report, Mubarak views Iran as the primary long-term challenge facing Egypt, and an Egyptian official said that Iran is running agents inside Egypt in an effort to subvert the Egyptian regime.Abstract (full article requires paid subscription). Bergman, Ronen (11 December 2010). "Iran, Israel and the Arab Contradiction — The WikiLeaks Cables Reveal that Egypt and Saudi Arabia Can't Decide if They Fear a Shiite Bomb More Than They Hate the Jewish State". The Wall Street Journal. 14 December 2010.

Iran

Israel

Jordan

Iran-Jordan relations A diplomatic cable, dated 2 April 2009, quotes Zeid Rifai, president of the Jordanian Senate, as saying, "Bomb Iran, or live with an Iranian bomb. Sanctions, carrots, incentives won't matter", in a conversation with David Hale, US Ambassador to Jordan. The cable further states "while Rifai judged a military strike would have 'catastrophic impact on the region,' he nonetheless thought preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons would pay enough dividends to make it worth the risks".

Kuwait In cables dated between February 2009 and November 2010, issues regarding Guantanamo Bay, Shi'ite fundamentalism, US military involvement in the Persian Gulf, and Kuwait-sponsored extremism were discussed.

Guantanamo Bay detainees Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, referring to Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainees, said:

Iran Kuwait allegedly believes Iran was supporting Shia extremists in the Persian Gulf and the Shiite Houthis in Yemen.

US militarily helping Persian Gulf States US military is assisting the Persian Gulf states in increasing ballistic missile and counter-air defenses, as well as providing early warning systems against the eventuality of an Iranian missile launch.

Kuwait based charities financing extremism Al Qaeda and other groups continue to exploit Kuwait, both as a source of funds and as a key transit point.

Lebanon Lebanese Civil War In a 1976 diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, a US diplomat stated "if I got nothing else from my meeting with Frangie, Chamoun and Gemayel, it is their clear, unequivocal and unmistakable belief that their principal hope for saving Christian necks is Syria. They sound like Assad is the latest incarnation of the Crusaders."

2006 Lebanon War Two years after a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel, then Lebanese defense minister Elias Murr apparently gave a message to US diplomats, intended to be passed on to Israeli authorities, stating that the Lebanese authorities would not retaliate if Israeli military attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Murr suggested that Israel would keep the support of Lebanese Christians if they do not attack Christian communities, and that they should not pass certain geographical boundaries to avoid legal retaliation from Hezbollah.

According to the cable, "Murr's opinion is that an Israeli action against Hizbollah would not be a war against Lebanon and that Syria and Iran did not ask Lebanon's permission to equip Hizballah with its rockets. As such, the LAF has been ordered to not get involved with any fighting..."

Murr was especially concerned for members of the 1st and 8th Brigades in the Beka'a valley ... Murr is afraid that these two units could be dragged into the fight, the ultimate disaster that Murr hopes to avoid. As such, Murr is trying to ascertain how long an offensive would be required to clean out Hezbollah in the Beka'a. The LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) will move to pre-position food, money, and water with these units so they can stay on their bases when Israel comes for Hezbollah--discreetly.

The message had been discussed with the president of Lebanon, Michel Suleiman, who at the time was also the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, with Murr stating that "he promised Suleiman the political cover for LAF inaction."

A cable from 17 July 2006, quotes Nabih Berri suggesting that he supported limited strikes against Hezbollah in a meeting with Jeffrey D. Feltman. The cable says that Berri described the military assault on Hezbollah by Israel as, "It's like honey. A little bit is good, but if you eat the whole jar you get sick." Berri's press office denounced reported cable leaks and described them as part of a "conspiracy".

Nabih Berri and Amal

Nabih Berri and the Amal movement, the party he heads, were mentioned in several of the leaked cables. The cables say that Amal still has significant support among Shi'a in Lebanon, but that the movement is rife with corruption, a situation summarized in one cable as, "Amal is near universally derided as corrupt to the core, but it is also considered the only alternative for moderate, secular Shia." Some of the specific allegations are that Berri was described by a relative of Musa al-Sadr as having provided social services in the south only through "wheeling, dealing, and stealing", and that Berri receives US$400,000 a month from Iran, using a fourth of the sum to shore up his support and pocketing the rest.

The cables also describe how the number of Amal members is declining as its supporters increasingly turn to Hezbollah. Thousands of young people and government workers are thought to have left Amal in favor of Hezbollah. One cable also covers the question of who will be Berri's successor. Berri was allegedly grooming his son to be the leader of Amal, and expelled other popular candidates who could have posed problems for him.

Emirati and Saudi involvement The online Lebanese newspaper Naharnet focused on Saudi Arabian financial non-involvement and United Arab Emirates (UAE) military involvement in the 2009 Lebanese general election and US officials' opinions of these. According to an April 2009 cable, Saudi Arabia did not financially support the March 14 Alliance. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported military involvement in the election, referring to "the need to support Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in the run up to the elections with concrete displays of support". Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman stated that "the UAE had been particularly helpful already by funding the delivery of the first ten refurbished tanks for the LAF".

Saad Hariri's-Hezbollah animosity