Iran has 'substantially increased' efforts to target Americans abroad, US intelligence memo warns
Iran has "substantially increased" efforts to target U.S. personnel abroad, with plots to kill Americans reaching "advanced stages" in the Middle East and other countries, according to an intelligence memo obtained by Fox News.
The memo, sent Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, comes just days after the State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
U.S. officials confirmed the authenticity of the unclassified intelligence memo, which was first reported by Axios.
"Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel," the memo states.
"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," the memo continues.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article omits that another US official, cited by the New York Times, played down Iran's capacity to carry out these attacks. The reader gets only the memo's alarm, with no official doubt set against it.
How we know
- Al Jazeera English reported“saying it lacks the capacity to follow through on all its ambitions”Is Iran planning attacks on Americans; why is the US on alert? (opens in a new tab)
The memo also states that intelligence officials will work to downgrade the classification of certain intelligence so it can be disseminated and shared with State Department personnel.
A U.S. official told Fox News Digital that the government continually monitors and evaluates evolving security threats.
"When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment," the official said. "The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region."
The intelligence report on Iranian efforts to target U.S. diplomats and officials in the Middle East also comes as President Donald Trump continues to weigh another round of military strikes against Iran if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington.
Earlier this week, the State Department addressed reports that it directed nonessential government personnel and their dependents to leave the entire Gulf region, clarifying that the departure order applies only to Saudi Arabia.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that any claims of a potential broader regional shutdown were "inaccurate."
"The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia," the department said.
The State Department previously renewed its warning to Americans traveling in and through the Middle East in late September.
The latest warning came as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched several missile attacks toward Saudi Arabia.
Fox News Digital's Jessica Mekles and Fox News' Nick Kalman contributed to this report.
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