Trump Floats Another 'Little Epic Fury' As Intel Warns Of 'Advanced' Plots To Kill US Officials Abroad

President Trump declared during a campaign rally in Florida on Friday that "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree" - asserting an ultimatum for the Iranians to either agree to a deal or else face a new intensified bombing campaign, possibly with Israeli help."If they're smart, they'll just say, let's get down to business," he added, while expressing that it's currently unlikely that Tehran would agree to Washington's demands. Instead, Iran has been reasserting its own seven conditions, which include the lifting of all sanctions, the removal of US forces from the region, and even war reparations.Though the conflict has very obviously lingered, with a major flare-up in fighting over the summer centered on the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon had formally declared Operation Epic Fury over on May 5.The US administration had repeatedly claimed the US strikes "obliterated" Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity while defeating the country "militarily, financially and otherwise" - though there was never any definitive 'mission accomplished' moment, and instead there's been continued troop and military hardware movement to the region.While the White House has signaled that a renewed bombing campaign on Iran wouldn't happen until after the November midterm elections, there have been signs that it could come before, amid reports of heightened US troop movement patterns to the Mideast region.Diplomats in the region continue to be placed on high alert, with an embassy evacuation underway in Riyadh connected with the Saudi-Houthi war and the ballistic missile attacks on the kingdom out of Yemen.Meanwhile, Axios is reporting on a released US intelligence memo which alleges "advanced" Iranian plots to kill officials abroad."The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton wrote in the document, which has curiously been leaked to the AP and Axios. The memo was sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and is dated Oct.23.It's highly unusual that a sensitive or else classified internal State Department intel memo would be made public or handed to the media, literally in real-time. Stoking public anxiety and fear through selective 'leaks'?...A U.S. intelligence memo dated October 23 warns that Iran has “substantially increased” efforts to assassinate American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with some plots reaching “advanced stages.” The threats, along with fears of Houthi attacks, have prompted the State Department to reduce U.S. diplomatic staff in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. Source: Axios — Clash Report (@clashreport) October 24, 2026And so it's obvious the administration wanted this to be for public consumption, perhaps to create a heightened sense of fear among Americans heading in to the midterm elections.The intel memo also seems an 'explainer' of sorts for the ongoing embassy and consulate staff drawdowns from the region. Or it could indeed all be preparing the way for Trump to launch an other 'little Epic Fury'. The Iranians, however, are promising 'big' and not small immediate retaliation.