The controversial whistle-blowing site Wikileaks has released a cache of 250,000 secret messages sent by US diplomatic staff.So far, Wikileaks has published on its site 220 of 251,287 of what it describes as US "cables"; it has given the files in full to five media groups, including the New York Times and Guardian newspapers.
Below are some of the key issues the documents reveal.
Iran attack
Several Arab leaders and their representatives are quoted as urging the US to carry out an attack on Iran to bring an end to its suspected nuclear weapons programme.
In a cable from April 2008, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, recalled King Abdullah's "frequent exhortations" to the US to attack Iran.
Mr al-Jubeir said the king wanted the US "to cut the head off the snake"; the cable also reported that the Saudi foreign minister was less extreme, calling for more severe sanctions on Tehran.
