A memo sent on Friday, 23 October 2026, from Jay Clayton to Marco Rubio says Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe copied.
On Wednesday, 21 October, nonessential US personnel and their families were ordered to leave Saudi Arabia, covering the Riyadh embassy and the Jeddah and Dhahran consulates.
On Friday, 23 October, staffing was reduced at embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which remain open under restricted operations status.
Three US officials said the threats from Iran and the Houthi rebels in Yemen are linked to the staffing changes, while the State Department's announcement named Houthi threats specifically.
US media reports cited by EFE say the US and Israel have drawn up plans for a new offensive after the 3 November legislative elections, with execution pending Donald Trump's decision.
A memorandum sent on Friday, 23 October 2026, by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio states that Iran has substantially stepped up efforts to target American personnel. Axios published the document first, and a US official later confirmed its authenticity to EFE. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memo. The key sentence of the memo reads as follows.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries.”
Clayton wrote that some people who need access to the intelligence are not authorized to receive it. The material has already reached senior State Department officials, according to the reporting. No particular targets are named in the document, and it does not describe the form the plots would take.
The cuts began in Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, 21 October, nonessential US personnel and their families were ordered to leave the country, covering the embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. On Friday, 23 October, the department reduced staffing at embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. All four already operate under restricted operations status, and they will stay open. Staff there are not compelled to leave, which sets them apart from Saudi Arabia.
Three US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the threats from Iran and the Houthi rebels in Yemen are linked to these changes. The State Department's announcement pointed specifically to Houthi threats and did not mention direct Iranian threats to personnel. US officials also fear the Houthis could extend their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region. US officials strongly denied that the reductions are tied to any possible new US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The United States and Israel started the war against Iran on 28 February, and it is close to eight months old. US media reports cited by EFE say both allies have drawn up plans for a possible new offensive after the legislative elections on 3 November. Carrying those plans out depends on a decision by Donald Trump.
At a rally in Florida on Friday, 23 October, Trump laid out the choice in one sentence.
“We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or [the Iranians] will agree [to a deal].”
In the same speech he said he doubted Iran would move toward talks, arguing that its leaders were not clever enough to do so.
US agencies rate the threat to Americans in the Middle East and several other countries as the highest since the war began in February, US officials said. The sequence of events runs as follows.
The reporting ties any renewed offensive to the period after the 3 November vote, with the final call resting with Trump. Clayton has offered to lower the classification of most of the sensitive material so that Rubio can share it with staff who may be at risk.
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Washington has ordered staff reductions at embassies across the Middle East after a memo said Iran has substantially increased efforts to target American personnel. Saudi Arabia faces a separate departure order.
AI text based on reports by Deutsche Welle, The New York Times, Bloomberg Business and other publishers. Published .