Axios obtained an Oct. 23 memo in which Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to widen access to reports of intensified Iranian activity against U.S. personnel.
The one-page, unclassified memo asks Rubio to broaden access to threat information. It says the plots involve the Middle East and unnamed countries beyond it, calls them advanced and lethal, and provides no targets or methods. Clayton wrote that some sensitive reporting could receive a lower classification where feasible, allowing Rubio to share it with a wider group of officials.
Axios, citing earlier CNN reporting, said the State Department ordered staffing reductions Friday at U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. Axios also reported that earlier in the week, the department directed family members and nonessential personnel to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran.
Axios quoted an unnamed U.S. official who said concerns about Houthi attacks and Iranian plots influenced the staffing decisions. The memo does not provide specific targets or operational details.
