A US official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Friday that US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio received an intelligence memorandum warning that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target American officials and citizens, with plots to carry out lethal attacks reaching advanced stages.
The confirmation follows a report by Axios, which obtained the October 23 memorandum sent to Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, with a copy to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
According to the document, US intelligence agencies have received information through multiple channels indicating that Iran has substantially intensified 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 intelligence chief warned that information concerning Iranian plots to target American government personnel was relevant to a wider group of individuals than those currently authorized to receive it.
Clayton said the underlying intelligence had already been shared with appropriately cleared senior members of Rubio’s team and offered to provide the secretary with an additional briefing.
He also pledged to make every effort to downgrade the classification of as much intelligence as possible, allowing Rubio to share the information more broadly with State Department personnel who could potentially be at risk.
The memorandum, marked unclassified, did not identify specific targets, attack methods, or countries outside the Middle East where the alleged plots were being developed.
US reduces diplomatic presence amid regional tensions
The warning comes as the State Department moves to reduce its diplomatic presence across several Middle Eastern countries, amid concerns about Iranian retaliation and the possibility of renewed US military operations against Tehran.
Earlier this week, Washington ordered nonessential government employees and family members to depart Saudi Arabia following an escalation in attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
According to Axios, additional reductions in US diplomatic personnel were ordered at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan.
CNN also reported on Friday that the United States was accelerating the departure of diplomats and their families from several regional posts, with some personnel having only recently returned following evacuations earlier in the Iran war.
The network further reported that Israel had pressed Washington to launch renewed strikes against Iran sooner, but those efforts had so far been unsuccessful.
Washington weighing renewed military action
The intelligence warning emerged as US President Donald Trump continued to leave open the possibility of additional military action against Iran.
Speaking on Friday, Trump said the United States could launch another operation similar to Operation Epic Fury if Tehran failed to reach an agreement.
“We may do another little Epic Fury. Or they’ll agree,” Trump said.
The latest warning underscores mounting US concerns about the security of American diplomatic personnel as Washington weighs further military action and continues diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with Iran.