Jay Clayton: According to the US intelligence chief, Iran is increasingly targeting US personnel

US intelligence director Jay Clayton assumes that US citizens in the Gulf region are increasingly being targeted by Iran. "We have received intelligence information that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target US personnel," Clayton said in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday.

Tehran's "lethal planning against US citizens" has "reached an advanced stage" both in the Gulf region and in certain other countries, the letter continued. The news portal Axios first reported on it.

This week it became known that the US government had asked non-essential US embassy employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia.

On Friday, Trump indicated that the US could potentially launch new military operations against Iran. "We could do another little 'Epic Fury,'" threatened Trump, alluding to the US term for its attacks on Iran. He didn't mention a time.

Tehran: US warships are not allowed to enter the Persian Gulf "under any circumstances."

The Iranian army has now ruled out the US Navy navigating the waters of the Persian Gulf. "We will not allow US warships into the Persian Gulf under any circumstances and at any time," said Chief of General Staff Ali Abdollahi on Saturday, according to Iranian state television. US President Donald Trump must “take with him to his grave” his “dream” of seeing the US Navy enter the Persian Gulf.

The Iran War was triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran at the end of February. Despite the agreement of a ceasefire in April and a framework agreement between the two sides, fighting continues around the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian will meet his Russian counterpart, ruler Vladimir Putin, in Moscow next week. Pezeshkian will visit the Russian capital "to take part in the summit of natural gas exporting countries that will take place on Tuesday, October 27th," reported the Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing Tehran's ambassador to Russia. The two heads of state would discuss economic cooperation and “issues of geopolitics.”

Russia and Iran are among the most heavily sanctioned states in the world and maintain close relations.

All signs point to escalation in the Middle East: The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, explains here how close the conflict parties once were to peace and who can now even talk to each other.