US spy chief says Iran is stepping up plots targeting Americans, Trump hints at ‘another little Epic Fury’

Washington, October 24 - The United States' national intelligence chief, Jay Clayton, has cautioned that Iran has significantly escalated its attempts to target Americans across the Middle East and beyond. This warning arrives following the United States' directive to withdraw non-essential embassy staff and their families from Saudi Arabia due to a surge in attacks originating from Yemen's Houthis.

Saudi Arabia has faced near-daily assaults from the Iran-backed group this month, including a strike on the kingdom's international airport, the deadliest in years. In a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Clayton stated, "We have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel. The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries."

The United States has previously ordered non-essential staff to leave the Gulf region before initiating its war against Iran and again in July, prior to U.S. President Donald Trump calling off a subsequent round of strikes. An official from Washington elaborated, "When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment.

The threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions." Amidst this backdrop, President Trump hinted at the prospect of renewed military operations against Iran, declaring, "We may do another little Epic Fury," alluding to the U.S. name for its strikes on Iran. However, he did not specify a timeframe for such actions.

The conflict escalated in late February with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, resulting in the death of the country's supreme leader and several high-ranking military commanders.