Iranian Plots to Kill Americans Abroad at ‘Advanced Stages,’ Intel Chief Warns Rubio
Iran has “substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel” overseas, and some plots to kill Americans have reached “advanced stages,” Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned in a memo Friday, CBS News reported.
The unclassified memo went to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe copied. It does not identify specific targets or countries, or say whether any attack may be imminent.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” Clayton wrote.
He said the intelligence community is working to downgrade sensitive intelligence, received through various channels, so it can be shared more broadly with State Department personnel.
The warning comes as the State Department thins out its presence in the region. Earlier this week it ordered non-emergency embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the BBC reported.
The department has also ordered staffing reductions at U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, according to Axios.
“The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on [Restricted Operations] Status in the region,” a U.S. official said.
A U.S. official and a senior U.S. military official also told CBS that the military has been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East because of the ongoing threats.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Airports
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting oil infrastructure and airports. At least 21 people have been killed in attacks on Saudi airports since the start of October, according to Saudi authorities.
A missile strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Oct. 10 killed 13 people and injured 308, the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade. An American was among the dead.
Last weekend, U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and other countries warned Americans to exercise caution because of the Houthi attacks.
The United States and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran in February that killed its leader. A preliminary June deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz collapsed within weeks after Iranian attacks on shipping resumed.
Washington and Tehran have refrained from striking each other in recent weeks, but President Trump has not ruled out renewed hostilities after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
At a campaign rally in Florida on Friday, Trump suggested another operation is possible if Iran won’t make a deal. “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree,” he said, referring to the February campaign.
Iran has also continued to claim responsibility for attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the route for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. The disruption has helped push oil prices higher.
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