Intelligence Memo Warns Iran Has 'Substantially Increased' Efforts to Target U.S. Personnel Abroad
Iran has "substantially increased" efforts to target U.S. personnel abroad, according to a U.S. intelligence memo sent Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Fox News reported. U.S. officials confirmed the unclassified memo is authentic, and it was first reported by Axios, according to Fox News.
What the Memo Says About Iran
"Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel," the memo states, according to Fox News.
"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," the memo says.
The memo also says intelligence officials will work to lower the classification of certain intelligence so it can be shared with State Department personnel, Fox News reported.
Embassy Staff and the Houthi Attacks
The memo came days after the State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia because of escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, according to Fox News.
"When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment," a U.S. official told Fox News Digital. "The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region."
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said claims of a broader shutdown across the Gulf region were "inaccurate" and that the departure order applies only to Saudi Arabia, Fox News reported.
The warning comes as President Trump weighs another round of military strikes against Iran if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington, according to Fox News. The State Department renewed its warning to Americans traveling in and through the Middle East in late September.
Image: Harry S. Truman Building, U.S. Department of State (file photo), U.S. Department of State, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
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Sources: Fox News Digital, "Iranian plots against US personnel reach advanced stages, memo warns" (Oct. 24, 2026): https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iran-substantially-increased-efforts-target-americans-abroad-us-intelligence-memo-warns
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