US on alert after Iran plots to target Americans abroad reach ‘advanced stages’: Report

The United States is reducing staffing at four embassies in the Middle East reportedly after receiving intelligence that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American personnel overseas, adding to security concerns as the Trump administration weighs its next move in the conflict with Tehran.The broader security concerns came into focus after director of national intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio that alleged Iranian plots against American citizens had reached an advanced stage. “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 in an unclassified memo dated October 23, as reported by CBS News.Clayton said Iran had “substantially increased efforts to target US personnel”. The memo did not specify the intended targets or countries involved, or establish whether any attacks were imminent.