Iran ‘Substantially Increased’ Efforts to Target Americans

The Iran War State of the Union: The memo followed the evacuation of personnel from the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images) Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, per a Friday memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox In the memo, initially reported in Axios, Clayton wrote, “The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries.” The U.S. evacuated nonessential personnel from the embassy in Saudi Arabia Wednesday. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a crackdown in the West Bank city of Hebron, evicting families and demolishing buildings, after Palestinians shot and killed two Israeli soldiers Friday. The Israeli elections are to be held Tuesday. Brent crude closed Friday at $117 per barrel. AAA reported national average prices per gallon of $4.30 for regular gas and $6.34 for diesel.