The United States has moved some diplomats and their family members from posts in the Middle East after intelligence warned that Iran had substantially increased efforts to target US personnel. The warning was contained in an unclassified memo dated 23 October from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, first reported by Axios and seen by Reuters.

What the memo said

According to Reuters, the memo said lethal plotting efforts by Iran against US citizens had reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries. The memo was also copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The State Department had earlier ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, and planned to withdraw family members from a number of other missions in the region, US officials told Reuters.

Travel warnings updated

On Saturday, the US State Department updated travel advisories for more than a dozen countries across the Gulf and Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Israel, citing an increased threat from Iran-aligned Houthis. A US official said staffing at embassies was constantly evaluated against new information about the security environment.

Families face a second move

CNN reported that many of those leaving had only recently returned after being ordered out during the height of the Iran war earlier this year. One diplomat described the process as chaotic, while the American Foreign Service Association said families were upset, confused and angry after barely settling back in before being told to leave again. The reports do not claim that an attack has taken place, only that the assessed threat has prompted precautionary staffing changes.