State Department Orders Security Reviews at All US Embassies

US embassies around the globe have been told to give their security a fresh once-over, stat. In a cable reviewed by NBC News and the Washington Post and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Undersecretary of Management Jason Evans ordered posts to conduct "immediate" reviews, citing unrest in the Middle East and the risk it could spread. Embassies must report back to Washington and, under the State Department's "No Double Standard" policy, share key security information with US citizens when warranted.

The directive lands as US facilities face a string of incidents: drones and rockets targeted the embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, US posts in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have come under fire, and a blast near the US Embassy in Norway is being probed as a possible deliberate act. The State Department stressed such security assessments are routine and don't necessarily signal a new specific threat. The Post notes this "appear[s] to mark the first time that all posts globally had been ordered to review their security because of the Iran war."