Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an unclassified memo dated Friday, Oct. 23, that Iranian efforts to target American personnel had intensified.
“Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel," Clayton wrote in the memo published on DocumentCloud. "The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries."
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memo.
The document does not identify intended victims, name countries outside the Middle East, or say whether an attack is imminent. It also does not describe how the alleged plots would be carried out.
Clayton said intelligence about Iranian efforts to target US government officials was relevant to more people than were authorized to receive it.
Senior State Department staff with appropriate security clearances had already received the material. Clayton offered to brief Rubio and lower the classification of as much intelligence as possible so the secretary could share it more broadly with department personnel.
The warning comes as Washington adjusts its diplomatic presence in a region facing overlapping threats.
The State Department ordered nonessential embassy personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, CBS News reported.
Iranian plots and threats from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement are informing staffing decisions at embassies operating under restrictions, according to ABC News.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi military and oil facilities amid intensified fighting in Yemen, ABC News reported.
The broader conflict began with joint American-Israeli strikes against Iran in February. Talks have stalled despite a June memorandum aimed at ending the war, according to ABC News.
The White House said the US would not attack Iran before the midterm elections, ABC News reported. That statement did not rule out later military action.
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