Iran has sharply increased its efforts to target Americans overseas, and some plots to kill U.S. citizens have reached “advanced stages,” the nation’s top intelligence official warned in a memo sent Friday.
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent the unclassified memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Fox News reported. U.S. officials confirmed the memo is authentic. Breitbart News reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on it.
What the memo says
“Through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote. He said the “lethal plotting efforts” against U.S. citizens had reached advanced stages “in both the Middle East and certain other countries.”
- Who is at risk: The memo focuses on U.S. government personnel and U.S. citizens. It does not name specific targets.
- Where: The warning covers the Middle East and other countries that the memo does not identify.
- Sharing the threat: Clayton said cleared senior State Department officials already had the intelligence. He offered to lower the classification of as much of it as possible so more department staff can see it.
State Department changes
The State Department updated its travel advisory for Saudi Arabia on Friday. The new summary cites a rise in possible armed attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis and “Iranian efforts to target U.S. government officials in the region.” The advisory level did not change. It still tells Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia and not to travel near the Yemen border.
Nonemergency U.S. government employees and their families have been ordered to leave Saudi Arabia. iSEARK.com covered that order in this report. A U.S. official told Fox News that Houthi attacks and Iranian plots against U.S. officials are shaping staffing decisions at embassies in the region.
Trump weighs new strikes
President Donald Trump has warned Iran of more military action if it does not reach a deal with Washington. “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree,” Trump said Friday at a rally in Fort Myers, Florida, according to Breitbart News. No new strike has been announced.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened Thursday to widen the conflict to U.S. bases in the region if American forces keep escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Breitbart reported. Iran earlier threatened undersea cables in the strait, as iSEARK.com reported.
For travelers
Americans living or traveling overseas can sign up for the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to get embassy security alerts.
Sources: Fox News; Breitbart News; U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia.
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