U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Iranian efforts to assassinate Americans overseas have entered “advanced stages,” prompting Washington to reduce diplomatic staffing across the Middle East as tensions rise and the possibility of renewed strikes on Tehran grows.
The warning appeared in an unclassified memorandum dated October 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Axios obtained and published the memo, reporting that the intelligence was one factor behind the diplomatic drawdowns.
“Through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote. He said Iranian efforts to carry out lethal attacks against U.S. citizens had reached advanced stages in the Middle East and in several other countries.
The memo, which was also sent to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, said information about the Iranian threats was relevant to more State Department employees than had been authorized to access it.
Clayton said the intelligence had already been provided to senior State Department officials with the necessary clearances. He also offered to reduce the classification of as much of the material as possible so Rubio could share it with a broader group.
The document did not specify who might be targeted, describe the alleged operations or identify the countries outside the Middle East where Americans could face danger.
Several U.S. officials have separately confirmed the memo is authentic, including to CNN, which also obtained a copy. A U.S. official told Al Arabiya English Washington correspondent Joseph Haboush that alleged Iranian plots against American officials, combined with the risk of attacks by Iran-backed Houthis, were influencing staffing decisions at U.S. embassies operating under restrictions throughout the region.
The intelligence warning comes as the State Department scales back its diplomatic presence across the Middle East because of threats linked to Iran and its Houthi allies.
Earlier this week, Washington directed nonessential personnel and family members to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, as well as the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran, amid an increase in Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.
CNN reported Friday that staffing was also being adjusted at multiple diplomatic facilities, including posts in Bahrain and Kuwait, as U.S. officials assessed the risk of a wider regional conflict.
A U.S. official cited in the report said the department on Friday ordered personnel reductions at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan.
“We decided that due to the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots we need to reduce our footprint and keep only essential staff,” the official said.
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The precautions follow increasingly direct Iranian threats against U.S. troops and military facilities throughout the region.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that the conflict could spread to American bases if U.S. forces continued escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the IRGC said.
Reuters separately reported Friday that two senior Iranian security officials outlined contingency plans for a broader response if the United States or Israel resumed attacks. Those plans reportedly included strikes against undersea communications cables and military sites.
“If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines… from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones,” one of the officials said.
The developments coincide with President Donald Trump’s increasingly forceful threats to resume military action against Iran. On Friday, he warned that Washington could launch another round of Operation Epic Fury unless Tehran reached an agreement with the United States.
“We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree,” Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida.
“If they’re smart, they’ll just say, ‘Let’s get down to business.’ But, you know, I doubt they’ll do that because perhaps they’re not smart,” he added.
Multiple outlets have reported in recent days that the Trump administration is considering renewed military strikes against Iran, potentially after the November midterm elections, with possible targets including the country’s missile and drone capabilities, energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities.
No decision to launch another operation has been announced.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for – News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.