US National Intelligence Chief Jay Clayton has warned that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target American citizens and personnel in West Asia and other countries. The warning comes amid growing tensions in the region following repeated attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group on Saudi Arabia.
The warning follows Washington’s decision this week to order non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has faced almost daily attacks by the Houthis this month, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that was the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in years, AFP reports.
Iranian Plots Reach Advanced Stages
In a memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Clayton said US intelligence agencies had received information suggesting that Iran had stepped up its efforts to target American personnel.
“We have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel,” Clayton said in the memo, according to a US official.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” the memo stated. The warning was first reported by Axios.
The intelligence assessment raises serious concerns about the safety of Americans in the region, particularly as attacks on Saudi Arabia continue and tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.
US Reviews Embassy Security Amid Houthi Attacks
A US official said Washington was closely monitoring security conditions while deciding how many diplomatic personnel should remain at its embassies.
“When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment,” the official said.
“The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions,” the official added.
The latest evacuation order is not the first such precaution taken by Washington. The US had previously ordered non-essential embassy staff to leave the Gulf ahead of its war against Iran. A similar order was issued in July before US President Donald Trump called off another wave of strikes.
Trump Hints At Fresh Military Action Against Iran
Meanwhile, Trump suggested on Friday, October 23, that Washington could launch another round of military operations against Iran.
“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump said, referring to the US name for its military attacks on Iran. However, he did not indicate when such operations might take place.
His remarks have added to concerns over a possible escalation in the conflict, with the US already warning of threats to its citizens and personnel abroad.
Conflict Began With US-Israeli Strikes In February
The ongoing conflict began in late February when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and several senior military commanders.
Since then, tensions across West Asia have remained high, with the latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and intelligence warnings about Iranian plots highlighting the risk of further violence.
The developments underline the increasingly fragile security situation in the region, where threats against American personnel and the possibility of renewed US military action could make an already tense conflict more difficult to contain.a
