Middle East nations are worried that Iran has influence in Nigeria and some other African countries as it allegedly works towards acquiring nuclear weapons, according to one of the secret American cables released by Wikileaks.

Beginning Sunday, the whistle blower has been releasing diplomatic documents detailing what it calls US spying activities around the world.

WikiLeaks opened a new window on U.S. diplomacy in Africa on November 28, when it published previously secret diplomatic cables on a website.

In one of the cables filed by the US embassy in Abu Dhabi, foreign minister of the United Arabs Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was quoted as saying that Iran was a huge problem beyond nuclear capabilities as its support for terrorism is broad.

"Iranian support for terrorism is broader than just Hamas and Hizballah. Iran has influence in Afghanistan, Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain, the Eastern Province of KSA, and Africa (AbZ mentioned Nigeria specifically). Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have close, cooperative ties. If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, the expeditionary aspect of its foreign policy will become ever more challenging for neighboring states," the cable quoted the minister as telling a US congressional delegation on February 17.

"The nuclear issue is only one aspect of the Iran problem, and that Iran's regional meddling was a serious concern. He pledged the UAE's backing as the US rallies support for new sanctions but questioned whether they would achieve the desired effect. (He) noted the UAE's growing concern that Gulf allies were being shut out of Iran sanctions planning."