Oct 26, 2026 · 26 min · 10 segments
In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief: - \- First up—A new U.S. intelligence warning reveals Iran has intensified efforts to assassinate American officials overseas, with some plots…
Mike BakerHost
US intelligence officials are warning that Iran has dramatically expanded its efforts to assassinate American officials overseas, with some plots reportedly reaching advanced stages.
The warning comes as Washington pulls diplomatic personnel out of several Middle Eastern countries and prepares for the possibility of renewed military strikes against the regime.
And while American intelligence agencies are raising alarms about Iranian assassination operations, Tehran is delivering a very different message publicly and insisting it remains interested in negotiating an end to the conflict.
According to an exclusive report from Axios, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent a memorandum to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the 23rd of October saying, warning that Iran had substantially increased its efforts to target American government personnel in the Middle East and beyond.
And nothing says that they remain interested in negotiating an end to the conflict like targeting American government personnel in the Middle East and beyond.
The memo reportedly states that Iranian plots to kill American officials have reached what intelligence analysts described as advanced stages.
The warning suggests that American intel agencies are tracking more than general threats or hostile rhetoric, although the memo does not publicly identify specific targets, locations, or the methods Iranian operatives might use.
According to Axios, Clayton offered to downgrade the classification of some sensitive intelligence so that the State Department could distribute the warnings more widely.
The Washington Post reports that a U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the memorandum and the administration is already taking precautions.
The State Department has ordered reductions in American diplomatic personnel across several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and the Lebanon.
In Saudi Arabia, the measures include the departure of family members and non-essential personnel from the embassy in Riyadh and American consulates in Jeddah and Tehran.
Now, Iran has a long history of using intelligence operatives, members of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, and criminal intermediaries to target enemies overseas.
These operations offer Tehran a way to strike individual targets without launching a conventional military attack.
The warning from the DNI does tell us that American intelligence officials consider the threat serious enough to warn the State Department and potentially impacted personnel.
And all of this is unfolding as the U.S. considers another round of military action against Iran.
The Washington Post reports that approximately 50,000 American troops remain deployed across the Middle East, while the Pentagon prepares for additional naval deployments.
As many as three American aircraft carriers and their escorts could be positioned in the region by early next month.
So Washington is preparing for potential military escalation while simultaneously reducing the number of American civilians and diplomats exposed to potential retaliation.
And Tehran, as usual, is sending mixed messages, either because their leadership is uncoordinated or they're simply continuing a strategy of block and delay as they wait for the U.S. midterm elections.
Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam accused the U.S. of undermining diplomatic efforts and prolonging the confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz.
As an aside, the chances that an Iranian ambassador slings any weight around within the actual regime leadership is somewhat nonsensical.
US intelligence officials are warning that Iran has dramatically expanded its efforts to assassinate American officials overseas, with some plots reportedly reaching advanced stages.
The warning comes as Washington pulls diplomatic personnel out of several Middle Eastern countries and prepares for the possibility of renewed military strikes against the regime.
And while American intelligence agencies are raising alarms about Iranian assassination operations, Tehran is delivering a very different message publicly and insisting it remains interested in negotiating an end to the conflict.
According to an exclusive report from Axios, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent a memorandum to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the 23rd of October saying, warning that Iran had substantially increased its efforts to target American government personnel in the Middle East and beyond.
And nothing says that they remain interested in negotiating an end to the conflict like targeting American government personnel in the Middle East and beyond.
The memo reportedly states that Iranian plots to kill American officials have reached what intelligence analysts described as advanced stages.
The warning suggests that American intel agencies are tracking more than general threats or hostile rhetoric, although the memo does not publicly identify specific targets, locations, or the methods Iranian operatives might use.
According to Axios, Clayton offered to downgrade the classification of some sensitive intelligence so that the State Department could distribute the warnings more widely.
The Washington Post reports that a U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the memorandum and the administration is already taking precautions.
The State Department has ordered reductions in American diplomatic personnel across several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and the Lebanon.
In Saudi Arabia, the measures include the departure of family members and non-essential personnel from the embassy in Riyadh and American consulates in Jeddah and Tehran.
Now, Iran has a long history of using intelligence operatives, members of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, and criminal intermediaries to target enemies overseas.
These operations offer Tehran a way to strike individual targets without launching a conventional military attack.
The warning from the DNI does tell us that American intelligence officials consider the threat serious enough to warn the State Department and potentially impacted personnel.
And all of this is unfolding as the U.S. considers another round of military action against Iran.
The Washington Post reports that approximately 50,000 American troops remain deployed across the Middle East, while the Pentagon prepares for additional naval deployments.
As many as three American aircraft carriers and their escorts could be positioned in the region by early next month.
So Washington is preparing for potential military escalation while simultaneously reducing the number of American civilians and diplomats exposed to potential retaliation.
And Tehran, as usual, is sending mixed messages, either because their leadership is uncoordinated or they're simply continuing a strategy of block and delay as they wait for the U.S. midterm elections.
Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam accused the U.S. of undermining diplomatic efforts and prolonging the confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz.
As an aside, the chances that an Iranian ambassador slings any weight around within the actual regime leadership is somewhat nonsensical.
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