Presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Ankara to reinforce relations with Turkey immediately after the 2007 NIE report was released. Relations were briefly strained after President Abdullah Gul had stated that he wants the atomic threat to be eliminated from the region, perhaps a hint to Iran; however, business has remained cordial between the two countries. Despite US disapproval, they signed a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline deal in late 2007. Iran's relations with the Arab states have been complex, partly due to the Islamic Revolution of decades ago, as well as more recent efforts by the United States to establish a united front against Iran over
Hamid Gul the Taliban. Gul rejected these allegations. On 14 December 2008, President Asif Ali Zardari in an interview with "Newsweek" described Hamid Gul as a "political ideologue" of terror rather than a physical supporter. According to the Daily Telegraph, following the death of Osama bin Laden, Gul opined that US forces had killed him in Afghanistan and moved the body to Abbottabad to humiliate Pakistan. Hamid Gul suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in Murree. According to reports, he had been suffering from high blood pressure and headaches for some time.His death was condoled by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army