Intel Chief Warns Iranian Plots Against Americans Have Reached ‘Advanced Stages’

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday that Iranian efforts to target American personnel abroad have intensified and that plots to kill U.S. citizens have reached “advanced stages,” as the Trump administration reduces staffing at several diplomatic missions across the Middle East.

“Through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote in an unclassified memo obtained by Politico.

“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” he added. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memo. 

The warning comes as the State Department reduces staffing at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, per the Associated Press. The department ordered non-emergency government employees and all family members to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday amid escalating threats from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants.

The four embassies undergoing staffing reductions will remain open under “restricted operations” status. Personnel at those posts have not been ordered to leave, distinguishing the measures from the mandatory departures in Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials said both Iranian plotting and the threat posed by the Houthis informed the staffing decisions. 

The State Department initially cited increased threats from the Houthis when announcing the drawdowns, without publicly identifying Iranian plots as a direct concern. The intelligence memo has since underscored the broader threat facing American personnel in the region.

Meanwhile, Houthi attacks have added another front to the regional conflict. On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu. The Houthis also claimed attacks against Saudi oil facilities, airports, and military sites, though Saudi authorities did not confirm that all the reported targets had been hit.

Clayton also warned that information about Iranian plans to target Americans was relevant to more people than were currently cleared to receive it. He said the intelligence community would work to downgrade sensitive information where possible so it could be shared more widely with State Department personnel who might be at risk. The memo did not publicly identify specific targets or countries where the alleged plots were underway, nor did it say whether an attack was imminent.

Trump paused new attacks on Iran earlier this month but has continued to threaten further action if Iran does not agree to a deal. “We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, referring to the U.S. military campaign against Iran. “Or they’ll agree. If they’re smart, they’ll just say let’s get down to business, but I doubt they’ll do that because perhaps they’re not smart.”

The administration’s military preparations have continued alongside diplomatic efforts. The United States is enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian trade, while negotiations to restart formal talks have stalled. Iran has also threatened U.S. military bases in the region if Washington continues helping commercial ships transit the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in an op-ed in the Financial Times that further escalation could endanger civilians, regional stability, and the global economy. Tehran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amir Moghadam, said Saturday that Iran remained open to negotiations under the interim agreement Pakistan helped broker in June. He said Iran had recently offered, through Pakistani intermediaries, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifted its naval blockade — an offer he said Trump rejected.

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