Washington reduces staff at four Middle East embassies due to Iranian threats

The U.S. Department of State has decided to reduce the number of personnel at four American embassies in the Middle East after receiving intelligence indicating that Iran has intensified its efforts to target U.S. employees in the region and elsewhere.

In a memo sent yesterday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton stated that his team “received intelligence indicating that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target U.S. personnel.”

Clayton wrote: “The deadly conspiracies being carried out by Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and several other countries.”

The Associated Press obtained the memo, which Axios reported earlier. Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the memo was sent to Rubio in his capacity as both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor.

The memo appeared shortly after the State Department announced it would reduce staffing levels at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The three officials said the threats from Iran and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen were linked to changes in diplomatic staff sizes.

The U.S. Department of State had previously ordered non-essential diplomats and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia a few days earlier.