Iran has "increased efforts to target U.S. personnel," intel chief warns

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Friday that Iran has "substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel" abroad, with plots to kill Americans reaching "advanced stages" in the Middle East and other countries.

The warning, contained in an unclassified memo that was sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by CBS News, comes as the State Department adjusts staffing at diplomatic posts across the Middle East, and the U.S. military pares back its footprint in the region, amid concerns about direct threats from Iran and threats from the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.

"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," Clayton wrote.

The memo, which was issued as the Trump administration weighs resuming military strikes against Iran, does not identify specific targets or countries where the alleged plots are underway, or indicate whether attacks may be imminent. 

Clayton said the U.S. intelligence community is working to downgrade sensitive intelligence — received through various channels — so it can be shared more broadly with State Department personnel. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memo.

Axios was first to report on the memo.

The warning follows a series of precautions at U.S. diplomatic facilities across the region. Earlier this week, the State Department ordered non-essential U.S. embassy personnel and their families to depart Saudi Arabia. Several other American embassies in the region adjusted their staffing under "restricted operations" status, which allows them to reduce the number of personnel without formally going on ordered departure, CBS News previously reported.