A U.S. intelligence memorandum warns that Iran has intensified efforts to kill American personnel overseas, prompting security precautions at diplomatic facilities across the Middle East as tensions escalate over possible renewed military strikes.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Iranian plots to kill Americans overseas have reached “advanced stages,” prompting the State Department to reduce staffing at four Middle Eastern embassies and order nonessential personnel and families to leave diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The warning was delivered Friday, Oct. 23, in an intelligence memorandum from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to an Axios report that first disclosed the document.
The memo, dated Oct. 23, states that American intelligence agencies have collected information indicating Iran is expanding efforts to target U.S. government personnel in the Middle East and other countries.
“Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” the intelligence chief added.
The memorandum does not identify specific targets, disclose the countries outside the Middle East where the alleged plots are developing or establish whether attacks are imminent.
However, officials said the intelligence was serious enough to warrant additional security precautions and wider distribution of threat information to American personnel serving overseas.
Clayton informed Rubio that senior State Department officials had already received briefings but expressed concern that the intelligence needed to reach more employees who could be exposed to potential threats.
According to CBS News, Clayton offered to reduce the classification level of sensitive intelligence wherever possible so the State Department could share the warnings more broadly.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memorandum.
The disclosure follows a series of security adjustments affecting American diplomatic facilities in the region.
The State Department is reducing personnel at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, according to The Associated Press.
The four diplomatic missions remain operational under restricted staffing arrangements. Those measures differ from mandatory departure orders because employees at the affected embassies have not been universally required to evacuate.
Earlier in the week, the department ordered family members and nonessential American government personnel to depart the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Those orders followed heightened security concerns involving Iran-backed Houthi militants operating in Yemen.
An American official said the government continually reviews intelligence concerning threats to overseas personnel and adjusts diplomatic operations accordingly.
“When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment,” the official said, according to ABC News.
“The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on restricted operating status in the region.”
The official’s comments indicate that the staffing reductions reflect concerns about both direct Iranian operations and attacks by regional militant groups aligned with Tehran.
The intelligence warning comes as the Trump administration weighs additional military action against Iran following months of conflict involving American, Israeli and Iranian forces.
During a campaign rally Friday in Fort Myers, Florida, President Donald Trump warned that the United States could conduct another military operation if Iranian leaders refuse to reach an agreement with Washington.
“We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree,” Trump said, referring to the American military campaign launched against Iran earlier this year.
“If they’re smart, they’ll just say, ‘Let’s get down to business.’ But I doubt they’ll do that because perhaps they’re not smart.”
The administration has maintained that previous U.S. strikes substantially weakened Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear infrastructure, although questions remain about Tehran’s remaining capabilities and the prospects for a negotiated settlement.
The latest intelligence findings introduce additional concerns that American diplomatic personnel could face retaliatory attacks as tensions increase.
Iran has previously been accused by U.S. authorities of plotting assassinations against American officials and individuals outside its borders.
Those allegations have included purported operations targeting former U.S. government officials following the American killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.
The latest memorandum does not establish whether the newly identified plots involve those earlier threats or represent separate operations.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued warnings concerning American military operations in the Persian Gulf, particularly efforts to maintain commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway remains a strategically important transportation route for global petroleum supplies, and continued military activity has raised concerns about energy security and regional stability.
According to the Financial Times, the intelligence warning emerged amid escalating attacks on regional infrastructure, including threats involving oil facilities and civilian aviation.
The State Department’s personnel reductions are precautionary measures intended to limit exposure to potential attacks while allowing essential diplomatic functions to continue.
American officials have not publicly identified the individuals allegedly involved in the Iranian plots or announced arrests directly connected to the latest intelligence.
They have also disputed suggestions that the embassy staffing changes necessarily indicate that new American or Israeli military strikes are imminent.
Nevertheless, the combination of advanced assassination warnings, diplomatic security restrictions and renewed military threats underscores the risks facing American personnel throughout the Middle East.
For now, U.S. intelligence agencies are working to distribute additional threat information while the State Department reassesses staffing and security arrangements at diplomatic missions.
The administration has not announced further evacuations beyond the measures already disclosed, but officials say security decisions will continue to reflect the evolving threat environment.
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