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
Hafiz Gul Bahadur returned to Pakistan in late 2007. In December he joined Baitullah Mehsud's Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as its first deputy leader. Gul Bahadur attempted to distance himself from the TTP after the group began to attack government forces. Although no formal announcement of leaving the TTP occurred, Gul Bahadur often refused to coordinate activities with the TTP against the government. During late 2007 and early 2008, Bahadur refused to assist Baitullah Mehsud against the Pakistani Army and urged him to refrain from fighting Pakistani forces in Razmak, North Waziristan. In July 2008 Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazir, leader of the