According to a report by the American news website Axios on October 23, a memo obtained by the media indicates that American intelligence agencies have discovered that Iran has 'significantly increased' its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and other regions. 'The assassination plots have reached a sophisticated stage.'
This intelligence memorandum was submitted to United States Secretary of State Rubio on October 23.
American officials said that the aforementioned intelligence was one of the reasons why the United States Department of State reduced the number of Americans working at its embassies in the Middle East. Concerns regarding conflicts in a broader region are increasing.
U.S. officials are also concerned that the Houthi armed group in Yemen may expand the scope of attacks beyond Saudi Arabia and impact other nations in the region.
It is reported that the United States and Israel may carry out military actions against Iran again after the mid-term elections in the US, which exacerbates the instability of the security situation.
On the 23rd, during a campaign rally for the mid-term elections in Florida, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States might carry out another small-scale “Epic Rage” operation, or that Iran could choose to compromise. He noted that if Iran is smart enough, it would simply say, “Let’s talk about serious matters.”
According to reports, in the aforementioned non-confidential memo, National Security Advisor Jay Clayton warned Rubio that information regarding Iran’s 'plot to assassinate' should be shared with more U.S. personnel, rather than being limited to those who are currently authorized to receive this information.
The memo does not specify any targets, countries other than the Middle East involved in the matter, or the nature of the alleged conspiracy. However, it mentions that relevant intelligence has been promptly communicated to senior officials at the White House.
Clayton suggested reducing the classification level of this sensitive information as much as possible, so that Rubio could share this information with more people who might be at risk.
According to reports, earlier this week, the U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of family members and non-essential personnel from the U.S. embassies in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran.
A U.S. official revealed that the U.S. State Department also ordered on the 23rd to reduce the diplomatic and government staff at the U.S. embassies in the UAE, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan.
The official stated, “Due to the threats posed by the Yemeni Houthi militant group and Iran’s terrorist schemes, we have decided that we need to reduce the number of personnel and only keep the necessary amount.”
