US intelligence memo warns Iran's plots against American officials are at "advanced stages"

The United States has received intelligence indicating that Iran has significantly stepped up efforts to kill American officials, according to an unclassified memo dated October 23, 2026, from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as reported by Fox News and Arab News.

The memo states that "Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel" and that "lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," according to the two outlets, which both cited the document directly.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memo, Arab News reported. Officials have also committed to downgrading parts of the underlying classified intelligence so it can be shared more broadly within the State Department, according to Fox News.

What the State Department has done

In response, the State Department ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave the US diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia, placing it under "ordered departure" status with only emergency staff remaining, NBC News reported.

The department also moved to withdraw family members from a number of other missions in the region and reduced diplomatic and government personnel at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, according to NBC News. Arab News reported that Washington additionally updated travel advisories for more than a dozen countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Iraq and Israel.

A State Department spokesperson described reports of a broader Gulf-wide shutdown of missions as "inaccurate," Fox News reported. Separately, spokesperson Tommy Pigott said personnel safety remains the department's "highest priority" and that protective measures are in place, according to NBC News.

Why now: the backdrop of an ongoing conflict

The warning comes against the backdrop of a conflict between the United States and Iran that began in February 2026, when US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iranian targets, according to Wikipedia's entry on the war, which NIVΞCTOR used only for general orientation. A ceasefire reached in April and a memorandum signed in June did not hold, and hostilities resumed by midsummer, the same entry states.

NBC News reported that the Trump administration is weighing additional military strikes on Iranian targets and that President Trump recently rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Fox News linked the latest threat warning to recent Iran-aligned Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Arab News also reported that the months-long conflict has affected President Trump's approval ratings ahead of US midterm elections scheduled for November 3.

What is not yet known

None of the three outlets reviewed by NIVΞCTOR reported a public response or denial from the Iranian government to the specific claims in the memo. The memo as described does not name specific individuals, locations or planned methods of attack, and officials have not said how many countries beyond the Middle East are affected.

Affected diplomatic posts at a glance