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

Clayton’s warning came in an unclassified Oct. 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which Axios first reported and obtained.

“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 comes as the Trump administration weighs resuming military strikes against Iran.

It does not mention specific targets or countries where the alleged plots are underway, or say whether attacks may be imminent, but does say senior State Department officials have been briefed on the matter.

According to The New York Times, a U.S. official confirmed the memo on Friday night.

The warning comes as the department quietly began pulling staff out of the Middle East.

Earlier this week, the State Department ordered family members and nonessential personnel to leave Saudi Arabia, and on Friday it restricted staffing at U.S. embassies, including in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan.

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