Chilling US intelligence memo warns Iran's plots to assassinate American officials are in 'advanced stages'...as diplomats are pulled from Middle East embassies

A new memo circulated by US intelligence claims that Iran is in the 'advanced stages' of plots to kill American officials in the Middle East and elsewhere. The news comes amid another spike in oil prices and rumors that Donald Trump may resume strikes on Tehran after the midterm elections . The memo, written by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio , suggests the information should be used as part of a continued effort to draw down personnel at US embassies. Clayton said his teams 'have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel.' 'The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,' Clayton wrote. Three US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed to the Associated Press that the memo was sent to Rubio in his capacity as secretary of state and national security adviser. The memo emerged shortly after the State Department announced it is reducing staff at the US embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The three officials said the threats from Iran and Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are related to the staffing changes. A new memo circulated by US intelligence claims that Iran is in the 'advanced stages' of plots to kill American officials in the Middle East and elsewhere The news comes amid another spike in oil prices and rumors that Donald Trump may resume strikes on Tehran after the midterm elections The embassies involved are all under what is known as 'restricted operations' status that has already reduced the size of their personnel footprints. The embassies will remain open. However, unlike in Saudi Arabia, where nonessential US personnel and their families were ordered Wednesday to leave the country, staff in the other four countries are not compelled to depart. In announcing the staffing drawdowns this week, the State Department pointed specifically to increased threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels and did not mention threats to US personnel directly from Iran. There has been a resurgence of fighting between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, with the militant group launching missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia . US officials have adamantly denied the drawdowns are tied to any potential new US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment. Oil prices spiked on Thursday after a report revealed Donald Trump and Israel have drawn up plans to unleash new attacks on Iran once the midterm elections are over. The memo, written by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio (pictured), suggests the information should be used as part of a continued effort to draw down personnel at US embassies Brent crude rose 2.68 percent to $111.74 per barrel. The President is just 12 days out from the midterm elections and is scrambling to lower fuel prices. Soaring gas prices have sent the cost of living spiraling, leaving Republicans staring down the real prospect of losing both the House and Senate in less than two weeks. US and Israeli commanders have mapped out a 'short but intensive' operation targeting Iran's nuclear sites, energy infrastructure and missile and drone arsenal, the New York Times reported. Trump has even floated dropping the 22,000-pound GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, known as the 'Mother of All Bombs,' on Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear site buried deep inside granite. Officials say the president is smitten with the weapon partly because of its nickname. Some US planners are convinced a three-day pounding could tip Iran's battered economy over the edge and force Tehran to cave on its nuclear program after nearly eight months of war. Trump vowed earlier this month not to strike before the vote, and the full US armada, including three aircraft carriers and thousands of Marines, won't be in place until early November anyway. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Israel this week to hash out the new strikes with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Clayton (pictured) said his teams 'have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel' An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11 But there is no guarantee the attack goes ahead, with Trump repeatedly pulling the plug on fresh combat operations, including at the last minute earlier this month. Since the war began, Iran has triggered severe global oil shortages by choking off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries a fifth of the world's oil, with speedboats, mines and explosive drones. One Tehran analyst said Iran would hit back at any strike on Pickaxe by targeting major Saudi refineries, including Aramco's, to send energy prices soaring and squeeze American voters Trump, speaking at a rally Friday in Florida , touted the US military operations in Iran, which were dubbed 'Operation Epic Fury,' and said that 'we may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree.' Mediators have been trying to bring Washington and Tehran back to formal talks as the war has reached a stalemate. According to Iranian state television, the Revolutionary Guard navy this week again threatened to strike US military bases in the region if the United States keeps helping guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the global energy trade. 'Any further escalation around the Strait of Hormuz or elsewhere in the region will put civilian lives and the well-being of all regional states and the global economy at great risk,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in an opinion column in the Financial Times this week.