United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor (not pictured) speaks at a dedication ceremony for an annex building at the US Embassy in New Delhi, India, Saturday, May 23, 2026. REUTERS
US intelligence has warned that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target American diplomats and officials abroad, with some alleged assassination plots reaching advanced stages, Axios reports.
The warning was contained in an unclassified memo dated Oct 23 and sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to Axios, the memo said intelligence about the alleged plots needed to be shared with more US personnel than were currently authorised to receive it.
It did not identify specific targets, countries outside West Asia or the nature of the alleged plots.
The intelligence had already been shared with senior State Department officials, and the memo offered to downgrade as much of the sensitive material as possible so it could be circulated more widely among personnel potentially at risk.
The warning comes as Washington reduces staffing at several diplomatic missions across West Asia amid concerns about a wider regional conflict.
Earlier this week, the State Department ordered family members and non-essential personnel to leave the US Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran in Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, the department also ordered reductions in US diplomatic and government personnel at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, a US official told Axios.
“We decided that due to the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots we need to reduce our footprint and keep only essential staff,” the official said. CNN first reported the staffing reductions at the four embassies.
US officials are also concerned that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen could expand their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region.
The security concerns come amid the possibility of renewed US and Israeli military operations against Iran, potentially after the US midterm elections.
At a rally in Florida on Friday, President Donald Trump raised the prospect of another US operation against Iran if Tehran did not agree to a deal.
“We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or [the Iranians] will agree [to a deal],” he said.