Iran’s Alleged Assassination Plot Against US in ‘Preliminary’ Phase: Is Houthi Threat Spreading? What the US intel report reveals | Today’s news
U.S. intelligence agencies have found that Iran has “substantially increased” efforts to target American diplomats and government officials in the Middle East and other countries, with deadly plots against American citizens reaching “advanced stages,” according to an Oct. 23 report obtained by Axios.
The warning, issued by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes as the State Department cuts staff at several US diplomatic missions across the Middle East amid fears of a wider regional conflict.
In the one-page declassified memo, Clayton reportedly offered to downgrade as much sensitive intelligence as possible so Rubio could share it more widely with State Department personnel who might be at risk.
The memo does not identify specific targets, detail the nature of the alleged plots, or name the countries where the activity is taking place. It also does not establish that an attack is imminent.
The intelligence warning comes amid concerns among US officials that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen could expand their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region.
What US Secret Service Report Says About Alleged Iranian Plots
In an Oct. 23 memo, Clayton said the intelligence community had received information through various channels that indicated Iran had significantly increased its efforts to target U.S. personnel.
“The deadly Iranian plot against US citizens has reached an advanced stage both in the Middle East and in some other countries,” Clayton wrote, according to a memo obtained by the news outlet.
Clayton said the information and analysis had already been provided to properly vetted senior officials on Rubio’s team.
He said there is an effect of desensitizing as much information as possible, allowing it to be distributed more widely at Rubio’s discretion.
While the document signals heightened concern within the US intelligence community, it does not provide any further details about the alleged plots, their intended targets or the methods used.
Could Iran-backed Houthis expand attacks beyond Saudi Arabia?
The US State Department is withdrawing personnel from several US embassies across the Middle East over concerns about Iranian threats to US personnel and the risk of a wider regional conflict, a report said. U.S. officials also fear Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen could expand their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region, the report said.
Which US diplomatic missions are affected?
The State Department has taken staffing measures at several diplomatic missions in the region as officials assess the security environment.
Earlier in the week, the department ordered family members and non-essential personnel to leave the US embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran, all in Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, she ordered a reduction in the number of US diplomats and government personnel at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan.
