Iranian Officials Say Americans Are "Fair Game" as US Warns of Advanced Assassination Plots
Two Iranian officials reportedly confirmed to The New York Times that Tehran is preparing attacks on US diplomats and other officials, echoing a US intelligence warning that such plots have reached advanced stages.
By News Media House Staff ·
Iran is planning new assassination plots aimed at United States diplomats and other officials, according to two Iranian officials, one of them a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The New York Times reported the claims on Saturday.
The two officials told the newspaper that Americans were "fair game". They pointed to attacks by Israel and the United States that have killed many Iranian officials, along with some of their family members.
They also confirmed what US intelligence reports have described: that Iran is working to improve its ability to carry out assassination plots against American officials and civilians.
American officials have voiced concern that Iran is in the "advanced stages" of planning these attacks. At the same time, Iran is reportedly preparing for the possibility of an Israeli or US strike on its territory, which would open a new phase in the ongoing war between the countries.
One US official cautioned that there is evidence of Iranian operatives in the United States who are "not just simply Iranian nationals." The same official noted that such operatives tend to overstate their actual capacity to carry out attacks when they communicate with Iran.
The warnings follow an internal intelligence assessment. A US official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Friday that Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio received a memorandum saying Iran has sharply stepped up its efforts to target American officials and citizens. According to the memo, plots to carry out lethal attacks have reached advanced stages.
The confirmation came after Axios obtained the document, which is dated October 23. It was sent to Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, with a copy going to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
In the memorandum, the intelligence chief warned that information about Iranian plots against American government personnel is relevant to a wider group of people than those currently authorized to receive it.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: The Jerusalem Post
