U.S. intelligence warns Iran’s lethal plots against American diplomats have advanced as Washington reduces staffing at regional missions

A one-page, unclassified intelligence memo says Iran has substantially increased efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching advanced stages. Axios obtained the memo, which Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 23; it warns that information about the plots needs to reach more U.S. personnel than are currently authorized to receive it.

The memo does not identify specific targets, countries outside the Middle East or the precise nature of the plots. U.S. officials said the intelligence was a key reason the State Department decided to reduce personnel at several American diplomatic missions amid fears of a broader regional conflict.

The department had ordered family members and nonessential personnel to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. On Friday, it mandated staff reductions at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, citing the dual threats of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots.

Security concerns also include the possibility that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen could extend their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia, as well as the prospect of renewed U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran. Speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, President Trump said the U.S. might conduct another military operation or Iran might ultimately agree to a deal, adding that smart leadership would lead the Iranians to “get down to business.”