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U.S. Thins Gulf Embassies as Intelligence Memo Warns of Advanced Iranian Plots

October 25, 2026 · Category: World News

The United States is reducing its diplomatic presence in the Middle East after a warning from its top intelligence official that Iran has stepped up efforts to kill Americans abroad. In a one-page unclassified memo dated Oct. 23 and first reported by Axios, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran has "substantially increased" efforts to target U.S. personnel. He wrote that "the lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages" in the Middle East and other countries. A U.S. official confirmed the memo's authenticity to NBC News. According to Axios, the memo names no specific targets and offers to downgrade intelligence so it can be shared with more staff.

The drawdown is already happening. Earlier in the week, the State Department ordered nonessential staff and family members out of Saudi Arabia after deadly Houthi attacks on airports and infrastructure, the AP and The Guardian reported. On Friday, officials ordered further cuts at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. The updated Saudi travel advisory now explicitly cites "Iranian efforts to target U.S. government officials in the region." According to Reuters, advisories for more than a dozen countries were revised on Saturday.

Tehran's public message is mixed. In remarks broadcast on state TV Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed Washington for the collapse of an interim deal. "We were having negotiations, the cowards (Americans) messed everything up... I still think we should go and conclude it," he said, Reuters reported. NBC News reported that President Trump rejected an Iranian proposal last month to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and that military options recently presented to him include strikes on nuclear-site tunnels and on Kharg Island, the hub of Iran's oil exports.

Israel's election is the other variable. Analysts interviewed by Reuters expect next week's vote to leave Israel's Iran policy largely unchanged, whoever wins. The war is about to enter its ninth month. Washington is reducing its exposure in the Gulf, while Iran's president is signaling that he would accept a deal.

Why it matters

The drawdown is a concrete sign that U.S. officials see more danger to American personnel in the region. It reduces the staff available on the ground for consular help and diplomacy, even as Iran's president publicly calls for another try at a deal.

Sources

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