U.S. embassy officials across the Middle East are on heightened alert after new reports said Iran has reached an advanced stage in planning attacks on Americans. Oil prices climbed this week as regional tensions rose.
U.S. embassy officials were on heightened alert around the Middle East after new reports said Iran is far along in planning attacks against Americans on Friday.
A memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said agencies received intelligence that Iran has increased efforts to target U.S. personnel in the region, according to a New York Times report. The memo also said, according to that report, that the threats applied to some other countries as well.
The warnings come after the U.S. ordered non-emergency government employees to leave Saudi Arabia this week. Attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis have worsened, and the broader war nears its eighth month. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it destroyed two ballistic missiles the group fired Saturday, aimed towards Taif and Yanbu.
The Trump administration has vowed renewed military strikes on Iran after the midterm elections on Nov. 3. The fallout from the war has caused a major disruption in the U.S. economy, with inflation and affordability the top concerns for voters who will decide control of Congress.
Rising tensions sent oil prices higher this week. Benchmark Brent crude futures topped $116 a barrel, a six-month high. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 3.8% to settle over $103 a barrel.
Source: CNBC
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