Iran, intrigue and unpaid limo bills: leaked files offer insight into Saudi diplomats' world

FILE - In this May 7, 2015 file photo, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's King Salman at the Royal Court, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WikiLeaks is in the process of publishing more than 500,000 Saudi diplomatic documents to the Internet, the transparency website said Friday, June 19, 2015. If genuine, the documents would offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the notoriously opaque kingdom. (Andrew Harnik/Pool Photo via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2015 file photo provided by the Saudi Press Agency, Saudi King Salman, center, speaks to Crown Prince Muqrin, center left, in the king's dewaniya, a traditional Arab reception area to receive guests, where condolences for Saudi King Abdullah, are being received, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WikiLeaks is in the process of publishing more than 500,000 Saudi diplomatic documents to the Internet, the transparency website said Friday, June 19, 2015. If genuine, the documents would offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the notoriously opaque kingdom. (Saudi Arabian Press Agency via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2014 file photo, Saudi royal guards stand on duty in front of portraits of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, right, then Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, center, and Muqrin bin Abdulaziz during a culture festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WikiLeaks is in the process of publishing more than 500,000 Saudi diplomatic documents to the Internet, the transparency website said Friday, June 19, 2015. If genuine, the documents would offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the notoriously opaque kingdom. (Fayez Nureldine/Pool Photo via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

At the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, diplomats talk about kicking up trouble among disenchanted youth using Facebook and Twitter. At the embassy in Khartoum, they report on Iran's military aid to Sudan.

Meanwhile in Geneva, the Saudi mission is stuck dealing with a multi-million dollar limo bill racked up by a Saudi royal and her entourage.

Many of the roughly 60,000 diplomatic documents just published by WikiLeaks, such as the ones from Khartoum and Tehran, are devoted to tracking Iran's moves in the region. But one of them, a 2009 letter whose authenticity The Associated Press verified Saturday, deals with the massive bill left unpaid by the princess.

It is documents like these that are providing an unusual level of insight into the seamy side of Saudi diplomacy.