The United States is rushing to move some diplomats and family members out of posts across the Middle East, as warnings about threats to American personnel grow sharper. The moves follow an unclassified memorandum dated 23 October from the Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which said Iran had substantially increased efforts to target United States personnel. According to reporting on the memorandum, it described lethal plotting as having reached advanced stages.

Staffing cuts across the region

The State Department ordered non-emergency staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia earlier in the week, and reduced staffing at posts in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Officials have said staffing levels are constantly evaluated against the security environment, with Houthi attacks and Iranian plots informing the decisions. The department has not publicly confirmed every detail attributed to the memorandum, and the claims about Iranian plotting remain United States intelligence assessments rather than independently proven facts.

Families describe disruption and anger

For families, the disruption has been abrupt. Some had only recently returned after an earlier evacuation, only to be told to leave again at short notice. A spokesperson for the American Foreign Service Association, Nikki Gamer, was quoted as saying families were upset, confused and angry at the upheaval. The association represents serving diplomats, and its comments underline how repeated moves strain households already living with heightened security concerns. No timetable has been given for a return to fuller staffing, and officials have stressed that decisions will follow the evolving threat picture.

Sources: CNN reports the memorandum and the staffing moves, with further context from the State Department position described above.