Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo dated Friday that Iran has "substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel" abroad, with lethal plots against Americans reaching "advanced stages" in the Middle East and other countries.1,3,4
The memo, obtained by CBS News and Axios, is addressed to Rubio and copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. It does not identify specific targets or countries where the alleged plots are underway, and it does not indicate whether attacks may be imminent. U.S. officials said the intelligence is one reason the State Department is drawing down personnel at several American embassies across the Middle East, amid fears of a broader regional conflict.1,4
"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," Clayton wrote. Axios reported that the underlying intelligence has already been shared with senior State Department officials, and that Clayton says intelligence about Iranian assassination plots needs to reach more U.S. personnel than are currently authorized to receive it. CBS News said the intelligence community is working to downgrade sensitive intelligence, received through various channels, so it can be shared more broadly with State Department personnel.1,4
The outlets differ on how the memo is classified. CBS News and Axios described it as unclassified, while The Hill described it as declassified.1,3,4
The memo comes as the State Department adjusts staffing across the Middle East. Earlier this week, the department ordered non-essential U.S. embassy personnel and their families to depart Saudi Arabia. Axios reported that the order covered the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. On Friday, a U.S. official said the department also ordered reductions in U.S. diplomatic and government personnel at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. Several other American embassies in the region have also adjusted their staffing under 'restricted operations' status, which allows them to reduce personnel without formally ordering a departure.1,4
"When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment," a U.S. official told CBS News on Friday. A U.S. official told Axios: "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."1,4
A U.S. official and a senior U.S. military official told CBS News that the military has been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East because of ongoing threats. The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has stepped up drone and missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, targeting oil infrastructure and airports. One strike on Riyadh's King Khalid Airport earlier this month killed at least a dozen people, including a U.S. citizen, and injured hundreds more.1,4
Last weekend, U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other countries warned Americans to exercise caution because of Houthi attacks. U.S. officials also fear that the Houthis could expand their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region, Axios reported.1,4
Although the U.S. and Iran have refrained from striking each other in recent weeks, President Trump has not ruled out restarting hostilities after next month's midterm elections, and the Trump administration is weighing resuming military strikes against Iran. Iran has continued to take responsibility for attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Axios also cited the prospect of renewed U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran, potentially after the midterm elections.1,4
At a campaign rally in Florida on Friday, Trump suggested the U.S. could launch another operation against Iran if Tehran failed to reach an agreement. "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," the president said, invoking the name of the U.S. military campaign launched in February. Axios rendered the remark as "We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or [the Iranians] will agree [to a deal]."1,4
The memo does not say which targets or countries are involved or whether attacks may be imminent, and none of the reports includes a response from Iranian officials to the memo or to Trump's remarks.1,3,4
Trump also said at the rally, referring to the Iranians, "If they're smart, they will just say, 'Let's get down to business,' but I doubt they will do that because perhaps they're not smart."4
