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

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Friday that Iran has "substantially accrued efforts to people U.S. personnel" abroad, with plots to termination Americans reaching "advanced stages" successful the Middle East and different countries.

The warning, contained successful an unclassified memo that was sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by CBS News, comes arsenic the State Department adjusts staffing astatine diplomatic posts crossed the Middle East, and the U.S. subject pares backmost its footprint successful the region, amid concerns astir nonstop threats from Iran and threats from the Iranian-backed Houthi question successful Yemen.

"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens person reached precocious stages successful some the Middle East and definite different countries," Clayton wrote.

The memo, which was issued arsenic the Trump medication weighs resuming subject strikes against Iran, does not place circumstantial targets oregon countries wherever the alleged plots are underway, oregon bespeak whether attacks whitethorn beryllium imminent. 

Clayton said the U.S. quality assemblage is moving to downgrade delicate quality — received done assorted channels — truthful it tin beryllium shared much broadly with State Department personnel. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied connected the memo.

Axios was first to report connected the memo.

The informing follows a bid of precautions astatine U.S. diplomatic facilities crossed the region. Earlier this week, the State Department ordered non-essential U.S. embassy unit and their families to depart Saudi Arabia. Several different American embassies successful the portion adjusted their staffing nether "restricted operations" status, which allows them to trim the fig of unit without formally going connected ordered departure, CBS News antecedently reported.

"When it comes to our staffing astatine embassies, we perpetually measure caller accusation astir the information environment," a U.S. authoritative told CBS News connected Friday. "The menace of Houthi attacks and of Iranian panic plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions connected staffing adjustments for embassies connected RO [Restricted Operations] Status successful the region."

A U.S. authoritative and a elder U.S. subject authoritative besides told CBS News this week that the subject has been softly reducing its footprint astatine posts successful the Middle East owed to ongoing threats.

Houthi militants person stepped up drone and rocket attacks against Saudi Arabia, targeting lipid infrastructure and airports. One onslaught connected Riyadh's King Khalid Airport earlier this period killed astatine slightest a twelve people, including a U.S. citizen, and injured hundreds more.

Last weekend, U.S. embassies successful Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and different countries warned Americans to workout caution owed to Houthi attacks. 

Although the U.S. and Iran person refrained from striking each different successful caller weeks, President Trump has not ruled retired restarting hostilities aft adjacent month's midterm elections. Iran has besides continued to instrumentality responsibility for attacks connected lipid tankers successful the Strait of Hormuz.

At a run rally successful Florida connected Friday, Mr. Trump suggested the U.S. could motorboat different cognition against Iran if Tehran failed to scope an agreement.

"We whitethorn bash different small Epic Fury, oregon they'll agree," the president said, invoking the sanction of the U.S. subject run launched successful February.