DNI warned Rubio of ‘advanced’ Iranian efforts to target US personnel, memo shows

Iranian plots to target and kill U.S. officials in the Middle East have “substantially increased,” according to a declassified intelligence memo dated Friday, with these efforts reportedly reaching “advanced stages.”

The warning, addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, came days after the State Department ordered the departure of certain nonessential U.S. personnel from Saudi Arabia as the Iran-backed Houthis ramped up attacks inside the country.

“Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote. “The lethal plotting efforts by Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries.”

The memo was first reported on by Axios, and a U.S. official confirmed its existence to The Hill’s broadcasting partner, NewsNation. Clayton’s message to Rubio does not mention the State Department’s evacuation of some American personnel from the Middle East.

The Houthis have attacked civilian infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia, including multiple attacks on airports , which have wounded and killed civilians. Saudi officials said Wednesday its military prevented another attack on the holy city of Medina.

The strikes are part of an ongoing war between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

“As the Department has repeatedly emphasized, the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly, including beyond that immediate area,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill Wednesday when asked about the decision to pull diplomats from the region.

U.S. military action in Islamic Republic has amplified the impact of the Yemen civil war throughout the Persian Gulf, as the Iran-backed Houthis have directly attacked countries in the region since its start. Saudi Arabia, due to its partnerships with the US, has been a target of much of the Houthi offensive.