Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published October 24, 2026
U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Iran has significantly increased efforts to target American personnel abroad, with alleged plots against U.S. citizens reaching what officials described as “advanced stages” in parts of the Middle East and other countries.
The warning was detailed in an unclassified memorandum dated October 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo comes as Washington reduces staffing at several diplomatic missions amid heightened regional security concerns.
Intelligence memo raises security concerns
In the memorandum, Clayton said U.S. intelligence agencies had received information indicating that Iran had substantially increased its efforts to target American personnel.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” Clayton wrote.
The memo did not identify specific targets, disclose the locations of all alleged plots, or establish whether an attack was imminent.
Clayton also indicated that relevant intelligence should be shared with more State Department personnel. He offered to help declassify portions of the information so it could be distributed more broadly among officials responsible for diplomatic security.
U.S. Reduces embassy staffing across the region
The warning coincides with changes to staffing at U.S. diplomatic facilities in the Middle East.
The State Department has ordered nonessential personnel and eligible family members to leave Saudi Arabia, including personnel associated with the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran.
Washington has also reduced staffing at four additional diplomatic missions in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those embassies remain open under restricted operating arrangements, and personnel at those posts have not been ordered to leave the countries.
U.S. officials have said that threats from Iran and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement are informing staffing decisions. The Houthis have intensified attacks against Saudi targets, including airports and energy infrastructure.
Regional Tensions Continue
The intelligence warning comes amid a broader confrontation involving Washington, Tehran and Iran-backed groups in the region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened U.S. military bases in the region in connection with American efforts to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to resume negotiations between Washington and Tehran have faced difficulties. President Donald Trump has suggested that further U.S. military action remains possible if an agreement cannot be reached.
U.S. officials have denied that the embassy staffing reductions are tied to preparations for potential new American or Israeli strikes against Iran.
