Intel Memo Warns Iranian Plots Against U.S. Officials Reach Advanced Stages as Embassies Draw Down

U.S. intelligence has determined that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target American diplomats and officials, with lethal plots reaching advanced stages both in the Middle East and in certain other countries, according to an Oct. 23 memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Clayton wrote that the information, received through multiple channels, needs to reach a wider group of U.S. personnel than those currently authorized to see it. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was also copied on the unclassified memo. A U.S. official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that Rubio received the warning.

The State Department earlier this week ordered family members and nonessential personnel to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. On Friday it ordered reductions at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan. Travel advisories for more than a dozen countries across the Gulf and Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Iraq, and Israel, were updated citing an increased threat from Iran-aligned Houthis.

Iranian officials, including a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told The New York Times that Americans are “fair game” because of prior U.S. and Israeli actions against Iranian officials. They confirmed efforts to increase the capability to carry out assassination plots against U.S. personnel and civilians.

The warnings come amid ongoing regional tensions following earlier U.S. military operations against Iran. Officials have expressed concern that Iran-backed groups could expand attacks. The drawdowns are described as protective measures while intelligence continues to be evaluated.