FBI alert: Iran can launch drones at California in revenge for U.S. strikes

Mar 11, 2026, 10:17 PM

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FBI alert: Iran can launch drones at California in revenge for U.S. strikes

Federal authorities have alerted California law enforcement agencies that the state might be a potential target of a drone attack linked to the escalating war between Iran, the United States, and Israel. However, officials emphasize that there is no confirmed or imminent threat.

The warning, first reported by ABC News, comes from a federal intelligence memo circulated to Joint Terrorism Task Force partners across the state in late February. It followed U.S. and Israeli strikes inside Iran earlier this year and retaliatory attacks by Tehran in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday, March 11, he is not concerned about Iran-backed attacks on U.S. soil, telling reporters, “No, I’m not,” when asked whether Iran could expand retaliation to the United States.

What the FBI warning says about California

According to the alert described by ABC News and confirmed by multiple law enforcement sources, federal authorities “recently acquired information” suggesting Iran had considered the idea of using unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast.

The memo said the hypothetical targets were “unspecified” and located in California, and emphasized that authorities had no information on timing, methods, perpetrators or specific locations.

A source briefed on the memo told the Los Angeles Times the information originated with U.S. Coast Guard intelligence and was shared as a precaution. Counterterrorism officials said such alerts are often written broadly to prompt vigilance rather than signal an active plot.

Officials with the FBI, the governor’s office and major California police departments declined to comment.

Reporters asked Gov. Gavin Newsom about the FBI’s warning during a press conference.

“As it relates to drone strikes, we’ve been aware of that information. We’ve been working collaboratively through the SOC (State Operation Center), which we established right after the war began. (We’ve been) working with the office of emergency services, but working locally to make sure we transmit any information that we have received,” Newsom said.

“We are aware of that information, and we transferred that information in real time to our local partners. Drone issues have always been top of mind, and we’ve assembled some work groups specifically around those concerns. That’s all I will share at the moment; I have nothing more insightful beyond just what’s been reported.”

How military attack–level drones work

The drones referenced in the warning are not hobbyist or consumer drones. Military-style unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are typically long‑range platforms designed to fly autonomously or be remotely piloted.

Experts say these systems generally rely on:

Launching such drones from offshore would present significant technical and logistical challenges, including detection by U.S. Naval, Coast Guard and air defense systems. Federal assessments have long concluded that while drones are used widely in overseas conflicts, conducting a successful strike against the U.S. mainland would be difficult and risky for a foreign actor.

What sites authorities generally think about, without specifics

Officials have not identified any specific California targets, and experts caution against speculation. In general threat assessments, authorities tend to think in broad categories, not individual locations.

Those categories can include:

State and local agencies routinely plan for a wide range of scenarios, and officials emphasized that no California site has been singled out in current intelligence.

How reliable is the intelligence behind the warning

Multiple officials stressed the warning does not reflect confirmed plans by Iran to strike California.

A source familiar with the memo told the Los Angeles Times the information “has not been deemed credible at this time,” and experienced intelligence officials described the alert as cautionary.

That assessment aligns with recent federal analyses. A Department of Homeland Security threat assessment said Iran and its proxies “probably” pose a risk of targeted actions against U.S. interests but concluded a large‑scale physical attack on U.S. soil is unlikely.

Reuters has also reported that while Iran could seek retaliation options worldwide, U.S.-based attacks would carry enormous escalation risks.

For Californians, officials say the takeaway is not panic, but perspective: The warning reflects ongoing monitoring tied to global events, not evidence of an active or imminent threat.

James Thornton

Editor-in-Chief