Iran’s lethal plots against US officials abroad reach ‘advanced stages,’ memo reveals

Lethal plots orchestrating actions against American nationals by Tehran have reached "advanced stages" as Iran steps up operations to target U.S. personnel, according to a memorandum from a senior intelligence official in the Trump administration seen by Reuters.The warning, issued by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, follows Washington's decision earlier this week to reduce personnel at its embassy in Saudi Arabia after escalated assaults by Iran-backed Houthi forces.These strikes along a single front of the nearly eight-month-old regional conflict stemming from the Iran war have coincided with an uptick in maritime attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.Sources previously disclosed to Reuters earlier this month that Tehran was preparing to deliver a significantly harsher retaliation should Washington resume widespread military actions on Iranian territory.In a communication sent to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dated October 23, Clayton stated, "Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel.""The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," he added.The unclassified document, which was initially reported by Axios, was also provided to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.The State Department confirmed it is monitoring Jáuregui’s case but did not link the proceedings to the CIA fatalities (Reuters)U.S. officials informed Reuters that the State Department instructed non-essential government workers and their dependents to depart American diplomatic outposts in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, alongside plans to evacuate family members from several other regional diplomatic sites.Updated travel advisories were published on Saturday by the State Department covering over 12 nations across the Gulf and Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Israel, pointing to a heightened threat posed by Iran-aligned Houthis."When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment," a US official noted."The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region," the official stated.This Restricted Operations Status grants the State Department enhanced latitude regarding staffing choices without requiring a formal public declaration of a mission's altered operational standing.As the Iran conflict approaches its ninth month next week, it continues to heavily impact the polling standing of US President Donald Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.