US Reduces Staff at Middle East Embassies After Iran Threat Assessment

The State Department is pulling non-essential employees from its post in Saudi Arabia, a move that follows an internal intelligence warning about rising threats to Americans in the region. The department cited attacks on Saudi infrastructure by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as the immediate reason for the reduction.

The decision stems from a memo sent by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Clayton stated that US agencies have gathered intelligence showing Iran has substantially increased its efforts to target US personnel overseas. He noted that lethal plots have reached advanced stages in the Middle East and other countries.

US officials told The New York Times that threats to American diplomats are currently at the highest level since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28. The Times reported that Iran has identified potential targets in Europe and that some intelligence suggests Iranian operatives are already active inside the United States. A US official confirmed the memo is authentic but added that Iran may lack the capacity to execute all its planned attacks.

CNN reported that staff reductions are also occurring at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Lebanon. A US official explained that Houthi attacks and specific Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are driving these decisions across multiple missions.

The threat assessment arrives as Washington considers the timing of a potential new military campaign. Reports suggest the US and Israel may prepare for further action after the US mid-term elections next month. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US may do another little epic fury, referring to the codename for the current conflict.

Iran has not publicly responded to the memo. However, Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard, said on Wednesday that Tehran would adopt a new offensive strategy if the US renewed attacks. He stated that Iran would no longer limit itself to retaliation and that the quality, range, and power of its missiles have improved.

Reuters cited two senior Iranian security officials who said Tehran has detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if new US-Israeli attacks occur. Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief, warned that cables, data centers, and artificial intelligence facilities across the region could also be hit if the war resumes.

The Pentagon has confirmed that 21 US military personnel have been killed in the Middle East since the war began. US authorities have a history of accusing Iran of plotting against Americans. In March, a Pakistani national was convicted in a US court of plotting to assassinate President Trump and other politicians on orders from the Revolutionary Guard. In 2022, a Guard member was charged with trying to arrange the killing of former national security adviser John Bolton, allegedly offering $300,000 to accomplices in the US.