The FBI recently issued a memo warning about a possible Iranian drone attack off California‘s coast. But law enforcement officials and homeland security experts are quickly walking back the immediate threat level, saying there is nothing specific or actionable right now.
The memo, distributed by the FBI’s Los Angeles office to local law enforcement last week, became public on Wednesday. It outlined vague but concerning details, saying the FBI had received “unverified” information early last month that Iran “allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland.”
According to CBS News, the memo also made it clear that the FBI had no additional information about the potential “timing, method, target, or perpetrators.” This tip surfaced before the current Iranian conflict escalated, even though the memo went out days into the fighting.
The memo raised alarms, but officials say there is no immediate or actionable threat
Multiple U.S. and California law enforcement and intelligence officials stressed there is no known, specific threat behind this memo. One California-based federal law enforcement official stated the warning “is not actionable.”
Another federal official called it “unverified,” adding, “There has been no information given on the timing, source, method or target of any such attack… since then, we have seen no further indications of this.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the situation on X, saying, “While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state.” His office clarified that this memo was just “one of numerous security updates the state receives from federal partners daily and disseminates to local law enforcement and emergency responders.”
Reports also show that Israel informed the U.S. about its Iran strikes in advance, though the scale of the operation went far beyond what was expected. The Los Angeles Police Department stated, “At this time, there are no known or specific threats to Los Angeles,” but confirmed they are “monitoring global events and any potential related threats.”
Iran has a known history of alleged murder-for-hire plots against dissidents in the U.S. and prominent American officials. The Iranian regime also has a large arsenal of drones, including their Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drones, which have been used throughout the Middle East, including in recent strikes on U.S. military bases.
The conflict has also been spreading beyond Iran’s immediate neighbors, with drone and bomb attacks pulling in countries that never sought involvement in the war. Samantha Vinograd, a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat protection, explained that “it is standard operating procedure – and prudent – or the FBI to share information with its partners to ensure partners are aware of the broader threat landscape.”
She noted that “context on credibility and imminence is helpful as a part of these information sharing mechanisms.” Jeff Harp, a former FBI special agent, backed this up, saying there is a directive to “over-communicate” about potential threats. He said that if they have “any inkling” of information, they will broadcast it, even if it is not “100% accurate,” just to make sure there is some warning and preparation in place.
Published: Mar 12, 2026 03:13 pm