**Dek:** A memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Iran's lethal plotting against Americans has reached "advanced stages," as Washington shrinks its diplomatic footprint across the region.
*By 5th Echelon News Desk | October 24, 2026*
The United States is shrinking its diplomatic presence across the Middle East after intelligence officials warned that Iran is in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans, according to U.S. officials and multiple news reports.
The development drew wide attention on X early Saturday, when SANTINO (@TheRealSantino), host of the X Space "The WklyNewsReport," posted: "JUST IN: Iran is in advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans, official say! The United States government has ordered diplomats and other federal employees to leave Saudi Arabia. It is also drawing down staff at other missions in the region." The post's wording tracks a New York Times report published late Friday.
**What the intelligence says**
In a memo sent Friday, Oct. 23, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton wrote that his teams "have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel," the Associated Press reported. "The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," Clayton wrote, according to AP.
Axios, which obtained the one-page unclassified memo, reported that it does not identify specific targets, the countries outside the Middle East, or the nature of the plots. Clayton offered to downgrade as much of the underlying intelligence as possible so it could be shared with more personnel who may be at risk, Axios reported.
**Who is leaving**
Earlier in the week, the State Department ordered non-emergency staff and family members of U.S. government employees to leave the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. The department cited escalating attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which it said included strikes on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure (AP, The Washington Post).
On Friday, the department also ordered staffing reductions at U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, according to AP and Axios. AP reported that personnel at those four posts are not required to depart. "We decided that due to the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots we need to reduce our footprint and keep only essential staff," a U.S. official told Axios.
**The wider picture**
U.S. officials also fear the Houthis could widen their attacks beyond Saudi Arabia, Axios reported, as talk grows of renewed U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran. Speaking at a rally in Florida on Friday, President Trump said, "We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or [the Iranians] will agree [to a deal]," according to Axios.
Iran had not publicly responded to the memo's claims in the reports reviewed by 5th Echelon. Americans in the region should check the State Department's travel advisories at travel.state.gov.
*5th Echelon will update this story as it develops.*
**Sources** - Original post: [@TheRealSantino on X](https://x.com/TheRealSantino/status/2113884650884231239) - [The New York Times, Oct. 23, 2026](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/us/politics/security-warnings-iran-threats.html) - [Associated Press, Oct. 23, 2026](https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-houthis-embassies-staffing-rubio-9635852ea973064907ed0b7c0fca4799) - [Axios, Oct. 24, 2026](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/24/iran-war-us-embassies-evacuations-threat) - [AP, Oct. 21, 2026](https://apnews.com/article/us-saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis-fa9a4806bff404a23a16a8c209afbd2b) - [The Washington Post, Oct. 22, 2026](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/10/22/us-orders-some-diplomats-leave-saudi-arabia-amid-houthi-attacks/)
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