U.S. intelligence assesses that Iran has significantly intensified its efforts to target American diplomats and senior officials in the Middle East and beyond, and that plots to assassinate them have reached "advanced stages." This was reported by Axios, which obtained an intelligence memo delivered yesterday to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the report, the intelligence information is one of the reasons behind the State Department's decision to reduce its diplomatic presence in several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, as reported by CNN. A U.S. official said the decision was made due to concerns over Iranian attacks and strikes by the Houthis in Yemen, amid the possibility of renewed American and Israeli strikes on Iran.