US cuts staffing at 4 Middle East embassies after Iran threat intelligence

The State Department is reducing staffing at four U.S. embassies in the Middle East—Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—following intelligence that Iran has escalated efforts to target American personnel. The embassies will remain open under restricted operations status. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton informed Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo that Iran's lethal plotting against U.S. citizens has reached advanced stages in the region and elsewhere. Officials linked the threats to Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels, though the drawdowns are not mandatory departures. The staffing changes come amid renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran threatening U.S. bases. Officials denied any connection to potential new U.S. or Israeli strikes on Iran.