US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio arrive to board a plane at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.
Iranian plans to kill US diplomats reached “advanced stages”: Axios
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US intelligence has assessed that Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching “advanced stages,” according to a recent memo obtained by Axios.
The one-page unclassified memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Oct. 23 warned that intelligence on the Iranian assassination plots needs to reach more US personnel than currently authorized.
It does not name specific targets, countries outside the Middle East, or the nature of the plots, but notes that the underlying intelligence has already been shared with senior State Department officials.
Clayton offered to downgrade sensitive details so the information could be circulated more widely to those potentially at risk.
US officials said the intelligence is one factor behind the State Department’s decision to reduce personnel at several American embassies across the Middle East amid fears of a broader regional conflict.
On Friday, a US official confirmed reductions in diplomatic and government staff at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan.
“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 said.
Earlier this week, the State Department ordered family members and nonessential personnel to leave the US Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran.
Officials have linked the Saudi drawdown primarily to escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which have targeted civilian airports and critical infrastructure in the kingdom, causing casualties and travel disruptions.
US officials also fear the Houthis could expand their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia.
The security concerns come against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions and the possibility of renewed US and ‘Israeli’ military operations against Iran, potentially after the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, referenced the possibility of further action, saying, “We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or [the Iranians] will agree [to a deal].”
He added, “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.”
