An August [...]]]> While Iran hawks have spent the past several days writing blog posts and newspaper columns arguing that the latest round of WikiLeaks cables shows that the Arab world supports military action against Iran, a more careful look at the documents suggests that not all Arab leaders share a common consensus.

An August 7, 2008 cable from the U.S. embassy in Oman summarizes the views of Lieutenant General Ali bin Majid al-Ma’amari, the Omani Minister of the Royal Office and head of the Office of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Iran.

He told Vice Admiral William Gortney and Ambassador Gary A. Grappo [my emphasis]:

Returning back to comments about GCC countries, General Ali singled out Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar as three Gulf countries that probably would want the U.S. to strike Iran. However, he urged the U.S. to determine whether such voices were speaking on the basis of logic or emotion. He likened private entreaties of these countries to the U.S. for military action on Iran to the Iraqi opposition in exile providing the U.S. false information on Iraq that led to the invasion of Iraq. At the beginning of the meeting, Ali Majid had noted that, in contrast to Oman, other GCC members did not always speak with candor or clarity, leaving Oman to question the real motivations or intentions of its GCC brethren.