Washington — Iran Plots to Kill U.S. Officials Advance, Memo Says

A classified intelligence memo reviewed by U.S. officials found that Iranian efforts to kill American personnel in the Middle East and other countries have reached what the document calls "advanced stages," according to NBC News. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent the memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Oct. 23.

What does the intelligence memo say?

The memo stated that "the lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages," NBC News reported. A U.S. official confirmed the document's authenticity after it was first reported by Axios. The memo did not specify how many plots intelligence agencies have identified or how many individuals are targeted, and NBC News did not report those figures.

Who sent the warning and when?

Clayton addressed the memo directly to Rubio, noting that the underlying intelligence is "relevant to more individuals than are currently cleared to receive this information." Clayton wrote that his office would "make every effort to downgrade as much intelligence as possible" so Rubio could share it with State Department staff at his discretion, according to the memo's text as reported by NBC News.

How is the U.S. responding at embassies and bases?

The warning followed reports that the U.S. military has quietly reduced troop levels at bases across the Middle East, sources told NBC News. A State Department official said the agency ordered a further reduction in staff at multiple diplomatic posts in the region. A U.S. official told NBC News: "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 U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on Restricted Status in the region."

Which diplomatic posts are affected?

The State Department identified four posts for additional staff reductions: Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, according to the State Department official cited by NBC News. Those posts were already operating under "restricted operations" status with limited staffing, a condition NBC News reported has been in place since the start of the war.

What context does this fit into?

The current drawdown mirrors troop and personnel reductions the Defense Department and State Department ordered around the start of the war with Iran in February, NBC News reported. The news organization did not report a specific date for when the current round of reductions began, only that it follows the Oct. 23 memo and prior reporting on scaled-back troop presence.

By the numbers

• 4 diplomatic posts named for added staff cuts: Lebanon, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan
• February: month the war with Iran began, triggering the first round of base and embassy drawdowns, per NBC News

NBC News did not report additional casualty figures, plot counts, or timelines beyond the memo's description of the threat as having reached "advanced stages."