Oct. 23, 2026 at 6:43 pm Updated Oct. 23, 2026 at 7:20 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is reducing staffing at four U.S. embassies in the Middle East after receiving intelligence that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American personnel in the region and elsewhere.

In a memo sent Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said his teams “have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel.”

“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 was obtained by The Associated Press and reported earlier by Axios. Three U.S.…