US intelligence warns Iran has stepped up 'advanced' plots against American diplomats

An Oct. 23 U.S. intelligence memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warns that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with some lethal plots reaching advanced stages, Axios reported.

U.S. intelligence has found that Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with some lethal plots reaching "advanced stages," according to an Oct. 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio first reported by Axios.

The memo, written by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, does not identify specific targets, the countries outside the Middle East that could be affected or the nature of the plots. Clayton offered to downgrade as much of the sensitive intelligence as possible so that Rubio could share it more widely with personnel who may be at risk, according to the report.

The U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington (file photo)

Embassy drawdowns

The warning is one of the reasons behind recent reductions in U.S. diplomatic staff in the region. Earlier this week, the State Department ordered family members and non-emergency personnel to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. A U.S. official told Axios that staffing reductions were also ordered on Friday at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. "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.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, however, called reports that similar orders were being prepared for multiple U.S. embassies in the Gulf "inaccurate," saying the Saudi decision followed escalating attacks by "Iranian-supported Houthis."

Trump floats new strikes

The report came as President Donald Trump warned at a Florida rally on Friday that Washington could launch "another little Epic Fury" to push Tehran toward a deal. There was no immediate comment from Iran on the report.

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