Washington Raises Alert Level in Middle East Following Reports of Iranian Plans to Target U.S. Officials

An official memo prepared by U.S. National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton and addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revealed that Iran has significantly escalated efforts to target American personnel abroad, with plots reaching "advanced stages" in the Middle East and other countries.

Reports indicate that the memo, first disclosed by Axios and subsequently published by the New York Times, prompted Washington to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in the region. The New York Times noted a downgrade in the level of representation at U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Lebanon, in addition to the embassy in Saudi Arabia, from which the U.S. State Department officially announced on Friday the withdrawal of some non-essential personnel, citing escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi infrastructure.

The New York Times quoted an American official confirming the accuracy of the memo on behalf of the Trump administration, though another official downplayed Iran's ability to execute all of its plans, noting its lack of sufficient capacity to do so. Washington has not issued any public comment on the contents of the memo.

According to assessments by U.S. officials cited by the New York Times, Iranian threats targeting American citizens in the Middle East have reached "their highest levels" since the onset of recent U.S.-Iranian tensions. Reports also indicated that some intelligence findings suggest active Iranian elements within U.S. territory, and threats have been tracked against American officials including ambassadors, with plots extending to targets in Europe.

In the context of broader escalation, Iran has threatened—according to reports—to retaliate against any new military campaign, including targeting telecommunications cables in the Gulf region. This comes amid reports of U.S. and Israeli preparations for a new military campaign against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for next month.

President Trump stated on Friday that the United States "might execute another small epic," referring to the code name for a previous military operation. The Pentagon confirmed the deaths of 21 American military personnel in the Middle East since the onset of recent tensions.

Iran has not responded to the American intelligence memo accusing it of plotting to strike U.S. officials, though its officials have repeatedly threatened and carried out attacks on American bases and allied bases in the region.