Iran intensifies plots against US officials in Mideast: Report

US intelligence found that Iran has sharply stepped up efforts to target American officials in the Middle East and other countries, with lethal plots reaching advanced stages, US news outlet Axios reported on Friday. The report cited a memo dated Oct. 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which said the information is relevant to more personnel than are currently cleared to see it. The one-page unclassified memo does not name targets, countries outside the Middle East, or the nature of the plots. The report said the underlying intelligence has been shared with senior State Department staff, and Clayton offered to downgrade it as much as possible so Rubio can share it more widely. A US official told the outlet that the intelligence is one reason the agency is reducing embassy personnel in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan, as first reported by CNN. Earlier this week, family members and nonessential staff were ordered out of the embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in the state of Florida that the US could launch another attack on Iran.