U.S. diplomatic posts across the Middle East are reducing staffing amid an assessment of Iranian attack planning, with officials describing a broader threat but limited operational reach, The New York Times reported.
A memo dated Oct. 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of risks to State Department staff in the Middle East and other regions. It said agencies had received intelligence that Iran had “substantially increased efforts to target US personnel.” The Trump administration confirmed the document through a U.S. official later that evening, the Times reported.
Officials described the risk to Americans in the region and elsewhere as the most serious since fighting began in February, the Times reported. They said the intelligence identified potential targets in Europe. One official said some material indicated that Iran might have operatives inside the United States. Analysts had been reviewing threat information for three weeks, including material concerning U.S. officials and ambassadors.
President Donald Trump and senior aides had been receiving regular briefings about risks that extended beyond the Middle East, one U.S. official told the Times. A different official cautioned that Iran's ability to strike in the United States or other overseas territories was limited, even as its ambitions were greater than its capability.
A State Department official said new security information informs decisions about embassy staffing, including threats from Houthi forces in Yemen and Iranian plots against U.S. officials. The Times reported that almost all U.S. missions in the Middle East had restricted operating status, a designation that allows the department to adjust staffing without issuing public notices. Clayton's memo also said he was seeking a lower classification for some intelligence so more government employees could be briefed on the threat.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said an Oct. 21 directive required nonessential staff and family members to leave Saudi Arabia. The newspaper said personnel movements have also occurred at additional U.S. diplomatic posts throughout the region.
