US Cuts Staff at Four Middle East Embassies After Intel Warns Iran Plots Reached Advanced Stages

The State Department is reducing staffing at four United States embassies in the Middle East after American intelligence warned that Iran has stepped up efforts to target United States personnel in the region and elsewhere. The department announced on Friday that it is cutting staff at the embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the Associated Press reported. The embassies will remain open.

The move followed a one page unclassified memo sent on Friday, October 23 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton. Clayton wrote that Iran has "substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel," and that lethal plotting against United States citizens has "reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries." The memo was obtained by the Associated Press and was reported earlier by Axios. Three United States officials confirmed it was sent to Rubio as secretary of state and national security adviser.

Four embassies cut staff, Saudi Arabia ordered out

The four embassies are already under restricted operations status, which has reduced the size of their staffs. Unlike Saudi Arabia, staff in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are not compelled to depart, the Associated Press reported. In Saudi Arabia, nonessential United States personnel and their families were ordered on Wednesday, October 21 to leave the country. That order covered Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, Axios reported via Newsmax.

CNN reported that the department has also quietly adjusted staffing caps at other embassies. A State Department official told CNN that Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan "will see temporary changes to staffing levels under restricted operations," and said there are no personnel changes in Kuwait or Bahrain. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X that the ordered departure applied to "Saudi Arabia only."

Houthi attacks and Iranian plots both cited

Three officials told the Associated Press that threats from Iran and from Yemen's Iranian backed Houthi rebels are related to the changes. In announcing the drawdowns, the State Department pointed to Houthi threats and did not mention threats from Iran directly. Pigott said Houthis have increased attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on civilian airports, causing civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.

For diplomats and families, CNN reported that the departures feel like a repeat of the evacuations during the height of the Iran war earlier this year. Many families had only recently returned, found housing and enrolled children in school. Nikki Gamer of the American Foreign Service Association told CNN that families are "understandably upset, confused, and angry," and said: "Families deserve to know how they will pay for a place to live before they board a plane." Later on Friday, an official confirmed to CNN that direct hire personnel and families are getting per diem allowances and support for lodging and schools.

Officials deny link to new strikes

United States officials denied that the drawdowns are tied to any potential new United States and Israeli strikes on Iran, the Associated Press reported. President Donald Trump, at a rally in Florida on Friday, praised the military operation in Iran, called Operation Epic Fury, and said: "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in the Financial Times this week that further escalation around the Strait of Hormuz would put civilian lives and the global economy at great risk.