Iran Plots to Target US Personnel Reach 'Advanced Stages', Intelligence Memo Warns as US Updates Alerts for 13 Countries

Iran has substantially increased its efforts to target United States personnel, and lethal plots against American citizens have reached "advanced stages", the United States' top intelligence official has warned in a memo seen by Reuters, as Washington updated travel advisories for more than a dozen countries across the Gulf and the Middle East.

The warning, contained in a message dated 23 October from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has sharpened fears of a renewed escalation in the eight-month-old war between the United States and Iran, just as the US ordered diplomatic staff out of Saudi Arabia and told travellers to reconsider trips across the region.

Main News Report

Reuters reported that Mr Clayton wrote: "Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel." He added: "The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries."

The memo, which was first reported by Axios and was copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, came after Washington scaled back staffing at its mission in Saudi Arabia earlier in the week in response to intensified attacks by Iran-allied Houthi forces. On Wednesday, the State Department 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.

On Saturday, the State Department updated travel advisories for more than a dozen countries across the Gulf and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Israel, citing an increased threat from Iran-aligned Houthis. The National reported that advisories were issued for 13 countries in total: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Syria, Yemen and Israel, with all of them referring to the threat of "terrorism".

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia's updated advisory urges travellers to reconsider travel to the kingdom because of the risk of drone and missile targeting of American interests by Iran and the Iranian-supported Houthis, armed conflict, terrorism and exit bans, and warns: "Do not travel to the Yemen border region due to terrorism." It confirms that on 23 October the Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia because of safety risks.

The advisory also warns that Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure have caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruption, and that the hostilities "have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area". A State Department official said the advisories were "not indicative of new capabilities from the Houthis, but reflect the strikes we have seen over recent days, including on the airport".

Background Context

The war began on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, and has since spread across West Asia, drawing in regional actors and Iranian-backed groups. A ceasefire deal mediated mainly by Pakistan in mid-June was intended to end the war, but it collapsed soon afterwards, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms.

Since then, the United States has carried out sporadic attacks on Iranian targets, while Iran has targeted vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz and imposed restrictions on passage through the strategic waterway. Washington has responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports, cutting off oil exports, Iran's major source of revenue.

The latest warnings follow a week of sharply rising tension. PakInsight Hub reported on Saturday that US President Donald Trump had threatened fresh strikes on Iran, warning of another round of attacks under the "Epic Fury" campaign name if Tehran failed to agree to a deal, while Iran vowed an "apocalyptic war" response. Mr Trump's envoy Tom Barrack had earlier warned that a strike could come as soon as this weekend.

Attacks on Saudi airports have continued in recent weeks. The National reported that Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has only partially reopened after being closed this month, and that the latest Houthi attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the Eastern Province, killed two people and injured eight, according to Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Authority. Saudi air defences intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh earlier on Saturday.

Reactions and Statements

A US official told Reuters: "When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment." The official added: "The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region." Restricted Operations Status gives the State Department more flexibility in personnel decisions without having to publicly announce a change in a mission's status.

Mr Trump, speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, said: "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," referring to a possible fresh round of strikes if negotiations with Tehran failed. He had earlier said the United States would not strike Iran before the US midterm elections on 3 November.

Iranian officials have vowed a wider response to any new attack than the strikes Tehran launched across the region after 28 February. Iran's National Security Council chief, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, told Iranian media this week that cables, data centres and artificial intelligence sites could be attacked, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that even limited military action would draw a response "several times greater".

Why This News Matters

For Pakistan, the stakes are direct. The Gulf is central to Pakistan's energy supplies and to the livelihoods of Pakistanis working in the region, and any escalation threatens both. PakInsight Hub reported earlier on Saturday that Brent crude had already risen to $116.72 a barrel, a six-month high, pushing Pakistan's fuel costs higher, with diesel raised to Rs393.66 per litre for 24–26 October.

The key developments at a glance:

• US intelligence says Iranian plots against US personnel have reached "advanced stages", in a memo dated 23 October from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Washington ordered non-emergency US government employees and their families out of Saudi Arabia and planned withdrawals from other regional missions.
• Travel advisories were updated on Saturday for 13 countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Syria, Yemen and Israel.
• Saudi Arabia's advisory warns of drone and missile targeting of American interests, armed conflict, terrorism and exit bans, and tells travellers not to go near the Yemen border.
• Houthi attacks on Saudi airports have killed civilians and disrupted air travel, with Riyadh's main airport only partially reopened.

The warnings also matter for travellers and for regional aviation. With Gulf airports already disrupted and advisories now covering most of the region, airlines, businesses and families with travel plans face fresh uncertainty, while governments across the region watch for any sign that Washington's warnings will be followed by military action.

Future Developments

Attention now turns to the days ahead, with Mr Barrack's warning that a strike could come "as soon as this weekend" still hanging over the region, even as Mr Trump has publicly distanced himself from that timetable and pointed to the 3 November midterm elections as a marker.

Diplomatic efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough after months of negotiations, and with Israel's election on 27 October and the US midterms a week later, both governments face political calendars that could sharpen, or delay, decisions on escalation. Any renewed strike, any Iranian retaliation against Gulf states, shipping or undersea cables, or any attack on US personnel would mark a further dangerous turn in a conflict that has already reshaped the region's security and energy landscape.

PakInsight Hub will continue to follow the US advisories, any further staffing changes at regional missions, and the diplomatic efforts to prevent a new round of fighting.

Sources

• Reuters — Iran has ramped up efforts to target US personnel, intelligence memo warns
• US Embassy in Saudi Arabia — Travel Advisory: Saudi Arabia, October 2026
• The National — US warns citizens that Houthi attacks 'have potential to escalate rapidly'

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