WikiLeaks reveals Saudi intrigue, unpaid limo bill

ISTANBUL — At the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, diplomats talked about airing the grievances of disenchanted local youth using Facebook and Twitter. At the embassy in Khartoum, they reported anxiously on Iran’s military aid to Sudan.

Meanwhile, the Saudi mission in Geneva got stuck dealing with a multimillion-dollar limo bill racked up by a Saudi princess and her entourage.

The incidents are mentioned in diplomatic documents published Friday by WikiLeaks, the first batch of what the group says will be a much larger release. But they’ve already provided an unusual level of insight into Saudi diplomacy — giving a snapshot of the lavish spending habits of royals and the political intrigue percolating across the Middle East.

WikiLeaks has published roughly 60,000 documents, of which The Associated Press only has been able to authenticate a handful. But the organization has a track record of hosting large leaks of government material, and, in a statement released Saturday, the Saudi government acknowledged its diplomatic servers had been penetrated ahead of the mass disclosure.

Many of the documents reviewed by the AP appear aimed at tracking Iranian activity across the region or undermining Tehran’s interests.

An undated memo apparently sent from the Saudi Embassy in Tehran made note of what it called the “frustration of the Iranian citizen and his strong desire for regime change” and suggested ways to publicly expose Iran’s social grievances through “the Internet, social media like Facebook and Twitter.”