U.S. intelligence says Iran has stepped up operations against U.S. officials.

According to a report by the U.S. news website Axios on the 23rd, U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Iran has "significantly increased" the intensity of its actions targeting U.S. diplomats and officials stationed in the Middle East and other regions, and that some attack plots that could have lethal consequences have entered an "advanced stage." The report said the website obtained an unclassified memorandum submitted to U.S. Secretary of State Rubio on the 23rd. In this memorandum, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned that intelligence regarding Iranian attack plots needs to be shared with more U.S. personnel who currently do not have the clearance to receive it. The report said the memorandum did not disclose specific targets of the Iranian attacks, which countries outside the Middle East were involved, or details of the attack plans, but the memorandum noted that the relevant intelligence had been shared with senior State Department officials. The report also said that, affected by the security situation, the U.S. State Department earlier this week ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel and family members from the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the consular offices in Jeddah and Dhahran. On the 23rd, the State Department further ordered a reduction in diplomatic and government personnel at the embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan. The above intelligence is one of the reasons for the U.S. government's decision to reduce personnel at U.S. embassies and consulates in the Middle East.