Report: Iran advancing sophisticated plots to assassinate senior US officials

U.S. intelligence has warned that Iran has significantly intensified efforts to assassinate American diplomats and senior officials in the Middle East and beyond, with some plots reportedly reaching advanced stages, as Washington reduces its diplomatic presence across the region amid fears of a wider military confrontation. The warning appears in a one-page intelligence memorandum dated October 23 and sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The document was first reported by Axios and subsequently obtained by the Associated Press, while CNN reported on the related diplomatic staffing reductions and the disruption facing American diplomatic families. In the memo, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned that Iran had "substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel" and that potentially lethal plots had reached "advanced stages" in the Middle East and other countries. The document does not identify specific targets, disclose which countries outside the Middle East may be involved or provide details about how the alleged assassination attempts would be carried out. It indicates, however, that the underlying intelligence has already been shared with senior State Department officials. Clayton also expressed concern that the information was not reaching enough American personnel who could be exposed to the threats. He offered to lower the classification level of as much of the intelligence as possible, allowing Rubio to distribute the warnings more widely. US quietly moves diplomats and families across Middle East The intelligence warnings come as Washington has begun scaling back its diplomatic presence across several Middle Eastern countries, with personnel and family members being relocated amid growing security concerns. Earlier this week, the State Department ordered nonessential personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, including the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. Officials cited the intensifying attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels as the immediate reason for the decision. On Friday, the department moved to further reduce diplomatic and government staffing at embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Unlike the mandatory departure order issued for Saudi Arabia, personnel at these four missions have not been formally ordered to leave. The embassies remain open under restricted operations, a designation that allows Washington to maintain essential diplomatic functions while limiting the number of personnel stationed there. Staffing adjustments have also been taking place more quietly at American diplomatic posts in Bahrain and Kuwait, with no publicly announced change in their operational status. For many American diplomats and their families, the latest moves have brought back memories of the earlier stages of the war with Iran. Some had only recently returned to their assignments after being evacuated during the height of the fighting, forcing them to find temporary accommodation and arrange new schooling for their children. Now, those same families face another round of disruption, with some reporting that the financial assistance available to them is more limited than during their previous departures. The American Foreign Service Association, which represents U.S. foreign service officers, has raised concerns about confusion surrounding the arrangements, particularly at embassies that have not formally changed their operational status. Some families have reportedly been directed to leave without receiving confirmation that the State Department will cover temporary housing or daily living expenses in the United States. Those allowances can be especially important when a diplomat must remain at an overseas post while their spouse and children relocate. Nikki Gamer, a spokesperson for the association, criticized the uncertainty facing diplomatic households. "Families deserve to know how they will pay for a place to live before they board a plane," she said. Diplomatic personnel have also complained about inadequate communication between State Department headquarters in Washington and staff serving abroad. Some said they learned about the departures through news reports rather than directly from their embassy leadership. The State Department has acknowledged the difficulties facing its personnel and said it is working to help families manage additional expenses and disruptions to their children's education. Fears of broader conflict with Iran The diplomatic reductions come amid an increasingly volatile security situation in the Middle East, with Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia raising concerns that the fighting could spread to neighboring countries. U.S. officials fear that the Houthis could expand their missile and drone attacks beyond Saudi Arabia, potentially threatening American personnel, military facilities and critical infrastructure elsewhere in the region. At the same time, the prospect of renewed American and Israeli military operations against Iran has added to the uncertainty. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that Washington could resume strikes against Tehran, potentially after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections. Speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, Trump again raised the possibility of another military operation against Iran unless the Iranian leadership agreed to negotiations. Israel has also reportedly pressed Washington to take military action against Iran sooner, although those efforts have so far been unsuccessful. U.S. officials, however, have denied that the diplomatic staffing reductions are connected to preparations for possible new American or Israeli strikes. They maintain that the measures are driven by immediate security concerns, including the threat of Iranian assassination plots and further Houthi attacks. The intelligence warning and the simultaneous reduction in diplomatic staffing underscore Washington's concern about the risks facing American personnel as tensions with Tehran intensify. With the alleged assassination plots still undisclosed and the threat of wider regional hostilities unresolved, U.S. diplomats and their families face renewed uncertainty over when they will be able to return to normal assignments.