FBI warns Iran could launch drone attacks on California in retaliation strikes

 The FBI has warned California law enforcement agencies that Iran might strike back against US attacks by deploying drones against West Coast targets, according to a bulletin examined by ABC News.

The alert, distributed in late February, allegedly cautioned that Iran "aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States, specifically against unspecified targets in California" should US strikes persist. Officials possess no additional intelligence regarding timing, methodology, or intended objectives.

The warning emerges as the Trump administration maintains its military campaign against Iran, which has retaliated with drone assaults across the Middle East. The FBI and the White House declined immediate comment on the report.

Americans remain on heightened alert as the FBI reveals it obtained this intelligence in early February 2026, indicating that Iran purportedly aspired to launch drone strikes against unspecified California targets should the US execute attacks against Iran.

Additionally, Mexican drug cartels' growing deployment of drones has sparked concern amongst US intelligence personnel recently. There are fears regarding the potential for this technology to be utilised in assaults against American staff and forces stationed near the Mexican border, reports the Mirror US.

"An uncorroborated report suggested that unidentified Mexican cartel leaders had authorized attacks using UAS (drones) carrying explosives against US law enforcement and US military personnel along the US-Mexico border," according to a September 2025 bulletin.

"This type of attack against US personnel or interests inside the United States would be unprecedented but exemplifies a plausible scenario, although (cartels) typically avoid actions that would result in unwanted attention or responses from US authorities."

ABC News contributor John Cohen, the former chief of intelligence for the Department of Homeland Security, stated that, "We know Iran has an extensive presence in Mexico and South America, they have relationships, they have the drones and now they have the incentive to conduct attacks."

He added: "The FBI is smart for putting this warning out so that state and locals can be better able to prepare and respond to these types of threats. Information like this is critically important for law enforcement."

Intelligence officials have remained persistently concerned that equipment could be positioned in advance, either on land or aboard vessels, in readiness for potential strikes against Iran by Israel or the US. The FBI's warning does not specify the logistics, how or when ships carrying attack drones might approach the US mainland.

The Pentagon has confirmed that seven U.S. service members have already lost their lives in the line of duty over the past fortnight. Six were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, with a seventh later succumbing to injuries from a separate attack in Saudi Arabia.