Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton has warned.
The US government has put employees on heightened alert across the Middle East and moved to reduce personnel levels at embassies and consulates, officials said Friday.
"We have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel," Clayton said in a memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a US official.
"The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," said the memo, which was first reported by Axios.
The US official said: "When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment."
Trump suggested on Friday that the US might launch renewed military operations against Iran.
"We may do another little Epic Fury" Trump said, referring to the US name for its attacks on Iran. He did not give any indication on timing.
The conflict began in late February with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, killing the country's supreme leader, along with senior military commanders.
The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for a new wave of strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections, though Trump has not made a final decision to carry them out, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
