Iran intensifies plots against US officials in Mideast, Axios reports

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. The move came as the State Department ordered family members and nonessential staff to leave the US Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran earlier this week. On Friday, the department also directed US embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan to reduce their diplomatic and government personnel, according to a US official.

A US official said intelligence is one reason the agency is reducing embassy personnel in the Middle East. "We decided that due to the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots, we need to reduce our footprint and keep only essential staff," the official said. President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in the state of Florida on Friday that the US could launch another attack on Iran.