Saudi Arabia urged US attack on Iran, Guardian says

LONDON Nov 28 (Reuters) - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on its website on Sunday.

The Guardian is one of a number of newspapers to have had access to U.S. diplomatic cables ahead of their publication on whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

Referring to U.S. diplomatic cables, the Guardian said that other Arab allies have secretly agitated for military action against Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. The Saudi king was recorded as having "frequently exhorted the U.S. to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons program," one cable stated, according to the Guardian.

"He told you [Americans] to cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report of a meeting between Abdullah and U.S. general David Petraeus in April 2008.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)