Iran in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks Against Americans, Officials Say

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The U.S. government has put employees on heightened alert across the Middle East and moved to reduce personnel levels at embassies and consulates because of intelligence showing Iran is in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans, U.S. officials said on Friday. Intelligence officials raised alarms to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo on Friday that warned about the dangers to State Department employees in the Middle East and other regions, the officials said.

Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture

The visible text never says that the State Department, in announcing the drawdowns, pointed specifically to threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels and did not mention direct Iranian threats. Without this, a reader takes the staff reductions as a response to Iranian plotting alone.

How we know

Daily Mail reported“In announcing the staffing drawdowns this week, the State Department pointed specifically to increased threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels and did not mention threats to US personnel directly from Iran.”Chilling US intelligence memo warns Iran's plots to assassinate American officials are in 'advanced stages'...as diplomats are pulled from Middle East embassies (opens in a new tab)
Fox News reported“due to escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels”Iran has 'substantially increased' efforts to target Americans abroad, US intelligence memo warns (opens in a new tab)

The memo, from Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, said that agencies had “received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. 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.” Image The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has been attacked by Iran. Credit... -/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Trump administration confirmed the memo on Friday night through a U.S. official.

The move demonstrated the seriousness with which the U.S. government is taking the threat, officials said. Axios earlier reported on the memo. U.S. agencies assess that the threat against Americans in the Middle East and several other countries is at the highest level since the start of the war in February, U.S. officials said. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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What we found (2)

The Times reports a US intelligence memo warning of Iranian plotting against Americans and attributes the main claims to US officials. In the visible text it never says the State Department tied the staff drawdowns to Houthi threats, and it dates the war to February without saying the United States and Israel began it. The body is cut off by a paywall after S9, so later paragraphs may add what is missing here.

Leaves out what changes the picture
Minor
“since the start of the war in February”
Why this matters
The words "the start of the war in February" date the war but name no one who started it. Nowhere in the visible text does the Times say the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
The impression it gives
A reader learns that Iran is plotting against Americans during a war of unstated origin. The reader is not told that the United States began that war by attacking Iran with Israel, or that new US and Israeli strikes are being planned.
The context
The Times reported two days earlier that the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. It also reported that the US and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for renewed strikes after the midterms. Other outlets carried that context with this same memo.
How we know
- The New York Times wrote earlier“after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February”Above Iran’s Capital, a Trump Impersonator Dances in a Jail Cell (opens in a new tab)
- The New York Times wrote earlier“The U.S. and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the American midterm elections”U.S. and Israel Draw Up Plans for Renewed Strikes on Iran After Elections (opens in a new tab)
- Daily Mail reported“US officials have adamantly denied the drawdowns are tied to any potential new US and Israeli strikes on Iran.”Chilling US intelligence memo warns Iran's plots to assassinate American officials are in 'advanced stages'...as diplomats are pulled from Middle East embassies (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
Leaves out what changes the picture
Minor
What is missing
The visible text never says that the State Department, in announcing the drawdowns, pointed specifically to threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels and did not mention direct Iranian threats. Without this, a reader takes the staff reductions as a response to Iranian plotting alone.
How we know
- Daily Mail reported“In announcing the staffing drawdowns this week, the State Department pointed specifically to increased threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels and did not mention threats to US personnel directly from Iran.”Chilling US intelligence memo warns Iran's plots to assassinate American officials are in 'advanced stages'...as diplomats are pulled from Middle East embassies (opens in a new tab)
- Fox News reported“due to escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels”Iran has 'substantially increased' efforts to target Americans abroad, US intelligence memo warns (opens in a new tab)
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