A memo dated October 23 from the Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Iran has substantially increased its attempts to target American diplomats and officials, in the Middle East and beyond, according to the Hindustan Times.

Some of the suspected plots involving potential loss of life have reached advanced stages, according to the document obtained by Axios. A US official confirmed that Washington directed several diplomatic missions to reduce staffing on Friday, cutting personnel at embassies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan.