US cuts staff at four Middle East embassies after intelligence memo on Iranian plots

The State Department is reducing staff at the US embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, AP and the BBC reported. The embassies remain open under restricted operations.

In a memo sent Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton wrote that Iran had "substantially increased efforts to target US personnel," according to the BBC and NBC News. Earlier this week the department ordered non-emergency staff and their families to leave the US Embassy in Riyadh and two consulates in Saudi Arabia.

Why it matters: The cuts widen a US drawdown across the region as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue and oil prices climb.