WASHINGTON — Iran has sharply increased efforts to target American personnel, and alleged plots against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned in a declassified memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Oct. 24. “Through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” Clayton wrote. He said the plotting had advanced in the Middle East and in other countries, raising the stakes for Americans serving overseas. The memo does not identify specific targets or locations. Clayton also warned that the intelligence could matter to more people than are currently cleared to see it. His office plans to downgrade as much information as possible so it can be shared more widely with people who may be at risk. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was copied on the memo. The State Department has reduced staffing at several U.S. embassies in the region in recent days. Tensions are also rising amid a developing conflict involving Yemen’s Houthi militants and Saudi Arabia. The warning arrives as President Donald Trump considers the next steps in the conflict with Iran. He paused new U.S. attacks until after the November midterm elections, but told supporters at a Friday rally in Fort Myers, Florida, that the United States might launch “another little Epic Fury” or seek an agreement with Tehran. Clayton, a former U.S. attorney for Manhattan, took over the intelligence agencies after Senate Republicans confirmed him over the summer. His memo puts the immediate security risk to U.S. personnel in sharper focus as the administration weighs military action and diplomatic options. It provides no public details about the alleged plots or how officials intend to counter them.