THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iranian plots to kill Americans overseas have reached “advanced stages.”
- The United States is reducing diplomatic and government staffing at embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
- The intelligence warning comes as Trump raises the possibility of renewed military action against Iran and officials prepare for additional attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Iran isn’t merely threatening Americans anymore. According to a new U.S. intelligence warning, Tehran’s efforts to kill them overseas have reached what officials describe as “advanced stages.”
And Washington is taking that warning seriously enough to reduce personnel at four American embassies.
In an October 23 memorandum to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned that American intelligence agencies have detected a significant escalation in Iranian efforts to target U.S. personnel abroad.
The warning is unusually direct.
“Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote.
Then came the sentence that should get the attention of every American working overseas.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries.”
Not theoretical hostility. Not another inflammatory speech from Tehran. American intelligence officials are warning that actual lethal plots have advanced significantly.
The one-page memorandum, obtained by Axios and subsequently corroborated by other news organizations, doesn’t identify the intended targets, specific countries outside the Middle East or methods involved.
But it reveals another remarkable concern: Some of the Americans who could be at risk may not yet have access to the intelligence describing those threats.
Clayton told Rubio that he wanted to make more of the sensitive information available to State Department personnel, offering to lower its classification level wherever possible so warnings could reach people who need them.
In other words, the intelligence community may know about dangers that the people potentially standing in their path haven’t fully been told about yet.
Meanwhile, the State Department is shrinking its diplomatic footprint.
American embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are reducing staffing as officials assess the growing danger from Iranian plots and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces.
Those embassies remain open, operating with restricted staffing. Officials say the security adjustments are precautionary measures based on the threat environment.
The reductions follow an earlier order for nonessential government employees and family members to depart American diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia after escalating Houthi attacks.
The concern isn’t confined to a single embassy or even a single country.
Iranian-backed Houthi forces have attacked civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, while American officials worry that strikes could spread to other locations hosting U.S. personnel.
All of this is unfolding against a potentially explosive military backdrop.
At a Friday campaign rally in Florida, President Trump again raised the possibility of launching additional strikes against Iran if Tehran refuses to negotiate.
“We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or they will agree,” Trump said.
He followed with a characteristically diplomatic assessment of the Iranian leadership.
“If they’re smart, they will just say, ‘Let’s get down to business,’ but I doubt they will do that because perhaps they’re not smart.”
The Daily BS has previously reported on America’s expanding military presence in the Middle East, warnings issued across a dozen countries and the possibility that U.S. operations could intensify after the November elections.
But the assassination intelligence introduces a different danger.
While Washington debates whether to resume major military strikes, American intelligence agencies say Iran has been advancing plans to kill U.S. citizens outside the battlefield.
Officials have not publicly established whether those plots are connected to any specific planned American military operation, and they have not identified individual targets.
For now, the United States is reducing personnel, circulating additional warnings and preparing for the possibility that Iranian retaliation may reach far beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has been threatening Tehran with another round of American firepower.
According to this intelligence memorandum, Tehran has been working on a far more personal way to strike back.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Axios — U.S. intelligence memo warns of advanced Iranian assassination plots
- Associated Press — U.S. reduces staffing at four Middle East embassies
- CBS News — Intelligence chief warns Iranian plots are reaching advanced stages
- Fox News — Iranian efforts to target Americans increase, intelligence memo says
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