US intelligence chief says Iran 'increases efforts' to target Americans

U.S. national intelligence chief Jay Clayton warned on Friday that Iran has substantially increased its efforts to target U.S. personnel in the Middle East and other countries. In an unclassified memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Clayton stated that lethal plotting efforts against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages.

The memo, which was also sent to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, does not identify specific targets or countries involved, nor does it indicate if attacks are imminent, according to CBS News. Clayton noted that the intelligence community is working to downgrade sensitive information received through various channels so it can be shared more broadly with State Department personnel.

CBS News reports that this warning comes as the State Department adjusts staffing at diplomatic posts across the Middle East and the U.S. military reduces its regional footprint. The memo was issued while the Trump administration considers resuming military strikes against Iran.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye, CBS News — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.