Iranian plots to attack American citizens abroad are ramping up, U.S. intelligence officials have warned, as the government reportedly moves to relocate diplomats and embassy staff.
In a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said that Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target Americans. The unclassified memo, dated Oct. 23, was obtained and published by Axios.
“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.
USA TODAY has reached out the State Department and the White House for comment.
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Pvt. Gonzales, killed in action in an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, in this image taken at a location given as Germany, released on July 20, 2026.
(10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command/Handout, via Reuters)
According to reports from Axios, CNN and the New York Times, the U.S. government, in response to the escalations, has made moves to relocate American diplomats and personnel from certain posts in the Middle East.
Clayton wrote in the memo that the information about Iranian efforts to target U.S. citizens was relevant to more people than were authorized to receive it, and he would work to downgrade the intelligence.
The Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the threat level against Americans in the Middle East and some other countries is at its highest since the Iran war began.
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Earlier this week, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the U.S. had ordered nonessential U.S. personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid attacks by Iran-backed Houthis.
“The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them,” Pigott said.
Reuters reported that some diplomatic personnel had only recently returned to the Middle East in recent months after many were pulled out in response to Iranian attacks on U.S. facilities following the launch of the war in February. Other Gulf states would also be ordering departures, Reuters reported, citing multiple unnamed officials.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iran’s ‘lethal plotting’ against Americans abroad ramps up, memo warns