The FBI reportedly warned California police departments in February that Iran could retaliate against the U.S., if it were to conduct strikes, by using drones aimed at the West Coast, according to an alert viewed by ABC News.
The alert, distributed at the end of February, told law enforcement that the FBI had “recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran.”
The FBI added it had “no additional information on timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
It’s unclear when exactly the alert was sent to police departments, but the U.S. began carrying out strikes on Iran February 28.
The FBI and FBI Los Angeles field office declined to comment for this story.
The Independent has asked the Pentagon for comment.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press conference Wednesday that the state was aware of potential drone strikes and had already relayed the information to local partners.
“As it relates to drone strikes, we’ve been aware of that information. We’ve been working collaboratively through the [State Operations Center],” Newsom said.
“Drone issues have been always top of mind, and we’ve assembled some work groups specifically around those concerns,” the governor added.
Oakland police officers told the San Fransico Chronicle that they had spoken with federal partners “who informed us that there may be a heightened risk due to the conflict in the Middle East” and that they are maintaining close contact with local, state and federal law enforcement.
But a person familiar with the memo downplayed the credibility of the threat to the Los Angeles Times.
An unnamed source told the outlet that the warning was based on intelligence received by the U.S. Coast Guard and that the warning was cautionary but did not have any indication that Iran was planning an attack.
Since the U.S. launched attacks on Iran, killing former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has retaliated with strikes against U.S. military bases in the Middle East, but not against the U.S. homeland.
A threat assessment, conducted in February by the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security and obtained by Reuters, determined that Iran and its proxies “probably” pose a threat to attacks on the U.S., but said a large-scale attack was unlikely.
When asked Wednesday if he was fearful of an attack on U.S. soil, President Donald Trump responded: “No, I’m not.”
The president has maintained that the attacks in Iran are meant to be a temporary military operation to destabilize the Iranian military and prevent it from attacking its neighboring countries.
So far, Iran has retaliated against Israel, the United Arab Emrites, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and others.
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