Follow-Up: US Intelligence Memo Says Iranian 'Lethal Plots' Against Americans Have Reached 'Advanced Stages' as More Middle East Embassies Cut Staff
WASHINGTON — US Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a one-page, unclassified memorandum dated October 23 that Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target American personnel, and that "lethal plots" against US citizens have reached "advanced stages" in the Middle East and "certain other countries," according to Axios, which obtained the memo. The report, by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, was confirmed to The Jerusalem Post by 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," Clayton wrote, according to the report. Clayton said information about the Iranian plots was relevant to a wider group of US personnel than those currently authorized to receive it; the underlying intelligence had already been shared with appropriately cleared senior members of Rubio's team, and Clayton offered an additional briefing and pledged to downgrade as much of the intelligence as possible so Rubio could share it more broadly with State Department personnel who could be at risk. The memo, copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, did not name specific targets, the countries outside the Middle East, or the nature of the plots.
The intelligence is one reason the United States is reducing staff at embassies across the region. Earlier in the week, the State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency staff and family members from the US Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; on Friday, October 23, staff reductions followed at the US embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. CNN reported that the cuts also extend to Bahrain and Kuwait, while State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on social media that the ordered departure applied to Saudi Arabia only. A US official told reporters: "When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment. The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region."
(GSM, from Axios, October 23, as relayed by Xinhua and IANS; the account of Iranian plotting reflects US intelligence claims as reported)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国国务院哈里·S·杜鲁门大楼外景，资料图。照片：美国国务院，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons
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