Iran has stepped up its efforts to target U.S. personnel in the Middle East and other countries, according to a memo sent Friday by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The memo warned that “the Iranians have reached an advanced stage in their deadly plot to target American citizens.”
A U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the memo, first reported by Axios.
A few days ago, sources told NBC News that the U.S. military has quietly reduced the size of its troops stationed at bases across the Middle East. The State Department ordered further staff reductions at multiple diplomatic missions in the region, including in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, according to State Department officials.
The positions have been placed on “restricted movement” status and have been operating with limited staffing since the start of the war.
Clayton told Rubio in the memo that the risk “relates to individuals currently authorized to receive this information,” adding: “We will make every effort to degrade as much intelligence as possible so that you can share it with State Department personnel at your discretion.”
The reductions in U.S. military and diplomatic personnel are similar to base and embassy drawdowns initiated by the Defense Department and State Department around the start of the war with Iran in February.
“When it comes to our embassy staffing, we are constantly evaluating new information about the security environment,” a U.S. official said. “The threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terrorist plots against U.S. officials are influencing our decisions to adjust staffing at restricted embassies in the region.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said this week he was considering another action against Iran after months of attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and limited progress on a long-standing ceasefire.
“We may have another little epic rage,” he told a rally in Florida on Friday, referring to the U.S. name for the first wave of strikes. “If they were smart, they would say, let’s get down to business,” he added.
His remarks came after senior U.S. military officials raised the option of a new round of strikes against Iran to Trump.
Military options presented to Trump in recent weeks include a large-scale strike on tunnels or entrances to Iran’s nuclear facilities, such as Haoshan, or on its strategic islands, a U.S. official and a former U.S. official familiar with the options said.
Some of the options include targeting Kharg Island and Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, they said. Khargah is home to the vast majority of Iran’s oil production, making it the country’s economic lifeline.
Iran proposed a new deal last month that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days. Trump publicly rejected the offer without giving a specific reason, saying Iran wanted a deal “because they’ve lost so badly.” He also accused Iran of trying to push up oil prices ahead of the midterm elections.
“We don’t care about the U.S. midterm elections,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. “We care about our national interests.”
Chiefs of mission at multiple U.S. diplomatic missions in the Middle East were notified on Wednesday that their agencies would begin operating with reduced staff, two U.S. officials said. The U.S. State Department also announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has been “ordered to evacuate,” meaning the embassy will be operated by emergency personnel only.
“The safety of State Department personnel and their families remains our top priority and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X.