Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target Americans overseas, with lethal plotting reaching advanced stages, according to a warning from the Director of National Intelligence. The intelligence assessment was communicated to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a letter on Friday, obtained by Axios. "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 unclassified memo did not specify targets or countries outside the Middle East, nor did it indicate if any attacks were imminent. This warning comes as the United States has been scaling back its diplomatic presence in the region amid escalating threats from Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen.
Earlier this week, the State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families to evacuate Saudi Arabia. On Friday, staffing reductions were announced at four other U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, though personnel were not ordered to depart.
Separately, Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, suggested that a U.S. strike on Iran could occur this weekend, despite previous White House statements indicating no such action would take place before the midterm elections on November 3. When questioned about Barrack's comment, President Trump, speaking in Florida, stated, "That was my ambassador to Turkey? He’s a pretty powerful man, I guess. Well, if that’s the case, I don’t know anything about it."
At a rally in Ft. Myers on Friday night, President Trump alluded to the return of U.S. warships and a potential military deployment near Cuba. Meanwhile, U.S. warships are reportedly preparing for possible military escalation in the Middle East. Capt. Nicholas DeLeo, commanding officer of the USS George Washington, one of two U.S. aircraft carriers in the region, stated, "We are always prepared. We’re always paying attention, focused on our surroundings and ready to react reflexively or proactively."