The United States reduced staff at four embassies in the Middle East as a memo to the State Department warned that Iran was in “advanced stages” of planning attacks against Americans.

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Oct. 23 warning that his teams “received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” a U.S. official confirmed to the Epoch Times.

“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.

The memo came as the State Department reduced staff at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a department official confirmed to The Epoch Times.

“Under Restricted Operations Status, staffing levels are constantly evaluated and adjusted,” the official said.

“When staffing levels are adjusted, that does not mean a change in status to Authorized or Ordered Departure, but is in fact a feature of being on Restricted Operations Status.”

There are no changes to personnel in Kuwait or Bahrain.

State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott previously denied on Oct. 21 that the department planned to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members at U.S. embassies across the Gulf.

The State Department only issued an ordered departure in Saudi Arabia for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members, according to a statement by Pigott on Wednesday. 

“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” Pigott wrote on X.

The State Department issued Level 3 travel advisory warnings for Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE, suggesting Americans reconsider travel due to risks of terrorism and armed conflict.

Although Jordan is under a Level 3 advisory warning, the U.S. Embassy in the country urged Americans on Oct. 24 to avoid traveling to Mansheyat al Ghayyath, Ruwayshid, the border with Syria and Iraq, designated Syrian refugee camps, Rusayfah city, and the Baqa’a neighborhood of Ayn Basha.

Lebanon is under a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning due to crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines, and armed conflict.

The State Department has advised Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution while traveling.

President Donald Trump hinted that the United States may restart “Operation Epic Fury,” the joint operation with Israel against Iran that started on Feb. 28, killing Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior leaders in the Iranian regime.

“We obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer,” the U.S. military operation in June 2025 that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump said during a rally in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 23.

“You remember that late at night [at] one in the morning and then did the rest with Operation Epic Fury. Which it was [Epic]. We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree. If they’re smart, they’ll just say ‘let’s get down to business,’ but I doubt they’ll do that because perhaps they’re not smart.”