Iran sends chilling 'advanced stages' warning to Americans living in Europe
Iran is at 'advanced stages' of plots to target Americans worldwide including across Europe, according to reports. The New York Times claims intelligence officials sounded the alarm to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alerting him to the dangers facing State Department staff in the Middle East and beyond, the officials said. The Iranian schemes also involve potential targets in Europe , US officials said. A memo from Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, revealed that agencies had "received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel . "The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries." This follows the US ordering its diplomats and their families to evacuate Saudi Arabia amid security fears there. The US State Department is scaling back personnel at four embassies in the Middle East after receiving intelligence about Iran's intentions. Staffing has been reduced in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The embassies concerned are all operating under what's known as "restricted operations" status, which has already cut the number of staff present. The embassies will remain operational. However, unlike in Saudi Arabia, where non-essential US personnel and their families were ordered on Wednesday to leave the country, staff in the other four nations are not being forced to depart. According to Iranian state television, the Revolutionary Guard navy this week again threatened to attack US military bases across the region, warning that America must halt its assistance in guiding commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital passage for the world's energy supply. "Any further escalation around the Strait of Hormuz or elsewhere in the region will put civilian lives and the well-being of all regional states and the global economy at great risk," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in an opinion column in the Financial Times this week. With the conflict having ground to a stalemate, mediators are working tirelessly to coax Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table for formal discussions.