Intelligence Chief Warns Rubio of Advanced Iranian Plots Against Americans Abroad
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iranian plots to kill U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in the Middle East and other countries, prompting embassy staff reductions across the region.
The nation's top intelligence official has warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iranian plots to kill Americans overseas have reached advanced stages, a development that has already led the State Department to cut staff at several embassies across the Middle East. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton made the assessment in a one-page, unclassified memo dated Oct. 23, which was obtained and reported by Axios and later confirmed as genuine by a U.S. official, according to CNN.
In the memo, Clayton wrote that Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target U.S. personnel, including diplomats, and that "the lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries." The memo was also copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. It does not name specific targets, does not identify which countries outside the region are involved, and offers no details about how the plots would be carried out.
Clayton emphasized that the safety of government personnel abroad is "a top priority" for the administration. He warned that the intelligence is "relevant to more individuals than are currently cleared to receive this information." According to the memo, the material has already been shared with appropriately cleared senior staff on Rubio's team. Clayton also pledged to downgrade as much of the intelligence as possible so that Rubio can share it with State Department personnel at his discretion.
U.S. officials told Axios that the warning is one of the factors behind a wave of embassy drawdowns in the region. Earlier this week, the State Department directed family members and nonessential staff to leave the embassy in Riyadh as well as consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. On Friday, it ordered further personnel cuts at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, a U.S. official said. CNN was the first to report the staffing reduction at those four embassies.
One official explained the rationale behind the cuts. "We decided that due to the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots we need to reduce our footprint and keep only essential staff," the official told Axios. Officials are also concerned that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels could widen their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia. Tensions have been further heightened by the possibility of new U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran, potentially after the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump raised that scenario at a rally in Florida on Friday. "We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or [the Iranians] will agree [to a deal]," he said, adding, "If they're smart, they will just say, 'Let's get down to business,' but I doubt they will do that because perhaps they're not smart."
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