October 23 Memo Warns of Iranian Plots Ahead of U.S. Staff Evacuation

Key Facts

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned in an unclassified memo dated October 23 and addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran was increasing efforts to target American diplomats and officials. He said deadly plots had reached advanced stages, in a warning reported by Axios. In a separate move, the State Department ordered employees’ family members and nonessential staff to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran during the week before the report. A U.S. official said the department had decided to reduce its presence because of the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terrorist plots, while retaining only essential personnel. The move places U.S. missions in Saudi Arabia under direct operational constraints as security concerns widen across the region.

The memo, according to Axios, is one page and unclassified, and does not identify specific targets, countries outside the Middle East or the nature of the plots it referenced. Clayton proposed downgrading as much sensitive intelligence as possible so Rubio could share it more widely with staff who might be at risk. The published report included no further details about the plots or potential targets. Alongside the Saudi move, Axios reported that staffing at U.S. missions in four other countries had been reduced, without naming them in the available account. A U.S. official said those missions would retain essential personnel amid the threats they face.

U.S. officials said they feared Iran-backed Houthi forces could expand their attacks from Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region. The U.S. State Department said in a travel advisory that the Houthis had attacked civilian airports and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, causing civilian casualties and major travel disruptions. The advisory added that the escalation could quickly spread beyond the immediate region. The Associated Press said debris from an intercepted drone killed two people and wounded two at an Aramco-operated oil field in the kingdom’s southeast. The Saudi-led coalition also said the Houthis had launched five drones toward the kingdom early Wednesday and that it intercepted and destroyed them over Medina and the Eastern Province.

Data from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence provides context for Tehran’s role in the region: an unclassified office assessment said Iran provides financial support, advanced weapons and direction to armed groups, partners and proxies in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. The assessment described Iran as “the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.” The report cited Houthi attacks on commercial and military maritime targets since late the previous year. It said those attacks had sunk two commercial vessels and damaged dozens of others. This record reflects the widening scope of the threat underlying U.S. concerns that attacks could spread to additional targets or countries.

Security risks also affected air travel in Riyadh. The Associated Press said King Khalid International Airport had remained closed since October 10 following a severe attack, before a limited number of Saudi airlines began operating departures and arrivals on Wednesday. Lufthansa and Air France canceled their flights to Riyadh through mid-November, while Saudia and flynas operated flights that day. The agency said the U.S. departure order applied only to Saudi Arabia, while U.S. embassies in other Gulf countries would see temporary staffing changes and were already operating under limits on the number of staff. Speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, President Donald Trump said: “We may carry out another small-scale Operation Epic Fury, or the Iranians will agree to a deal.” Axios reported that U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran could resume after the U.S. midterm elections.