Iran HUNTING Americans ESCALATES — Trump’s DIRE Warning

View of the American flag through a sniper scope — Photo: esfera / Shutterstock

A U.S. intelligence memo warns that Iran’s plots to kill Americans abroad have reached “advanced stages,” and the State Department is pulling staff from several Middle East embassies to keep its people safe.

Story Highlights

The nation’s top intelligence official warned that Iran has “substantially increased” efforts to target U.S. personnel overseas.
His memo says lethal plots against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in the Middle East and other countries.
The State Department ordered non-emergency staff out of Saudi Arabia and is cutting staff at embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has a long record of plots against its critics and U.S. figures, including cases inside the United States.
At a Florida rally on Friday, October 23, President Trump warned Iran: “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree.” Epic Fury is the U.S. military campaign against Iran that began in February 2026.

DNI memo warns of advanced Iranian plots

On Friday, October 23, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, the nation’s top intelligence official, sent a one-page memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” he wrote. He added, “The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries.”

US intelligence warns Iranian plots against Americans have reached 'advanced stages'. A 23 October memo says Tehran has substantially stepped up efforts. https://t.co/nVCRwwEndT #MagnaBureau #Geopolitics

— Magna Bureau (@MagnaBureau) October 25, 2026

The memo is a warning to the people who run America’s embassies. Clayton wrote that intelligence officials will work to lower the secrecy level of some of the information so it can be shared with State Department staff. A U.S. official said the threat of Houthi attacks and of “Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials” is shaping decisions on embassy staffing. Iran has not publicly answered the memo, according to reports.

The memo is unclassified, which means it is not a secret document. U.S. officials confirmed it is real. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on it. The memo does not name targets or countries, and it does not say whether an attack is close. Officials have not released the intelligence behind it, which is normal when sources must be protected.

Embassies cut staff across the Middle East

On Wednesday, October 21, the State Department ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. That order followed rising attacks by the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen that has fired missiles and drones at Saudi oil sites and airports. Earlier in October, a strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least a dozen people, including a U.S. citizen, officials said. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the departure order covers only Saudi Arabia and called claims of a wider regional shutdown “inaccurate.”

Reports on Saturday, October 24, said the department is also reducing staff at four more embassies: Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. All four are under “restricted operations,” a status that lets the department send some people home without ordering everyone out. The embassies will stay open, and staff there are not required to leave. The department publicly pointed to Houthi threats. Three U.S. officials said threats from both Iran and the Houthis are behind the changes. Officials firmly denied that the cuts are tied to possible new U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Pattern of Iranian targeting and prior U.S. cases

The warning fits a long record. In 2021, U.S. prosecutors charged four Iranians, believed to be intelligence agents, with plotting to kidnap a New York journalist who has criticized the Iranian government. She is Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American writer and activist. In a later case, federal prosecutors in New York charged three members of an Eastern European crime group with plotting to murder a U.S. citizen whom Iran had targeted for speaking out against its human rights abuses. Two men were convicted in 2025 of plotting to kill Alinejad.

Former officials have been targets too. In 2022, the Justice Department charged Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces, with plotting to murder John Bolton, who served as national security adviser to President Trump. Poursafi is accused, not convicted. Prosecutors say these cases show that Tehran has tried to reach Americans and its critics far from its own borders, sometimes through hired criminals.

How the Trump administration is responding

The administration is moving people out of harm’s way first. The staff cuts in Saudi Arabia and four other countries reduce the number of Americans exposed at posts where the danger is highest. The memo’s plan to share more intelligence with State Department staff is meant to help embassies make faster, better choices about security.

President Trump is also weighing more pressure on Tehran. At a Florida rally on Friday, October 23, he said, “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree.” Epic Fury is the name of the U.S. military campaign against Iran that began in February 2026. For many conservatives, the message is simple: protect Americans first, and make clear that harming them carries a heavy price.

How readers can stay informed

Americans with travel plans in the Middle East should check State Department travel alerts before booking and again before flying. The department renewed its travel warning for the region in late September. Earlier in October, U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other countries issued caution notices to Americans because of Houthi attacks.

Families with loved ones serving or working overseas can make sure contact plans are current and know how to reach the nearest U.S. embassy. Churches, businesses and charities with people in the region can review their safety plans. Staying alert is not fear. It is good sense, and it helps keep Americans safe wherever they serve or travel.