Is Iran planning attacks on Americans; why is the US on alert?
United States intelligence agencies have warned that Iran is in 'advanced stages' of plans to target US personnel abroad, prompting Washington to place staff on high alert in the Middle East.
The warning, detailed in a memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, indicates that Iran has 'substantially increased efforts to target US personnel' overseas, with lethal plots reaching 'advanced stages' in the Middle East and other countries. The alert comes as the US and Israel signal they may be preparing for a new military campaign against Iran, which Tehran has threatened to retaliate against, potentially targeting communications cables in the Gulf.
US diplomatic withdrawals
The heightened threat assessment has prompted Washington to trim its diplomatic presence in the Middle East. The US Department of State announced it was removing non-essential staff from its embassy in Saudi Arabia, citing escalating attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen against Saudi infrastructure. Staff levels have also been quietly reduced at other US diplomatic missions in the region, including embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon.
A US official cited by The New York Times said the threat of Houthi attacks and 'Iranian terror plots targeting US officials' were driving US staffing decisions. The withdrawals come as US agencies deem Iranian threats to US citizens in the Middle East to be 'at the highest level' since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February.
Iran's response
Iran has not directly responded to the US intelligence memo accusing it of planning attacks on US personnel. However, Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened and carried out attacks against US bases and those of its allies in the region. The Pentagon has confirmed that 21 US military personnel have been killed in the Middle East since the war on Iran began.
That means Tehran would no longer limit its military operations to retaliatory strikes
On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that Tehran would follow a new 'offensive' strategy if the US renewed attacks, with the spokesman noting that the quality, range and power of Iranian missiles had improved. Tehran also has in-depth plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf in the event of new US-Israeli attacks, according to Reuters.
History of alleged plots
US authorities have long accused Iran of being behind plots targeting US citizens. In March this year, a Pakistani national was convicted by a US court of plotting to assassinate Trump and other US politicians on the orders of Iran's IRGC. An Iranian IRGC member was charged in 2022 with trying to assassinate former US National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Last year, the US intelligence community warned that Iran would 'continue to directly threaten US persons globally', specifically targeting officials it believed were involved in the 2020 assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. This month, the US abruptly withdrew bombers from an airbase in England, citing concerns about a potential attack following a security incident at the base.
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