Trump, FBI, Newsom and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Address Unverified Iran UAV Attack Tip Against California
The FBI circulated an alert containing unverified intelligence that Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise UAV attack from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast targeting unspecified sites in California if the U.S. struck Iran; Gov. Gavin Newsom said there was "no imminent threat" while state and local authorities monitored the situation and prepared for worst‑case scenarios. President Trump said the possible plot was being investigated, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanded ABC retract its story—calling it based on a single unverified tip and asserting no such threat exists—after ABC updated its article to note the FBI described the information as unverified.
📌 Key Facts
- The FBI issued an alert to law enforcement describing unverified intelligence that Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise UAV/drone attack launched from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast against unspecified California targets if the U.S. struck Iran, and the alert said there was no additional information on timing, method, target or perpetrators.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there is "no imminent threat" to the state but that authorities are in a "posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios."
- Los Angeles and San Francisco police departments said they are monitoring global events and coordinating closely with state and federal authorities in response to the threat information.
- President Donald Trump, asked about the FBI alert at Joint Base Andrews, said the possible plot is "being investigated," described it as one of "a lot of things happening," and said, "All we can do is take ’em as they come."
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the message to law enforcement was based on "unverified intelligence," demanded that ABC News retract its story, accused the outlet of relying on a "single, unverified tip" and omitting the word "unverified," and asserted, "No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did."
- FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson posted side‑by‑side images of ABC's wording and the original FBI alert to highlight that the word "unverified" had been omitted from the ABC presentation of the alert.
- Following the criticism, ABC News updated its story with an editor’s note acknowledging that the FBI’s fuller alert described the intelligence as unverified and revised the article to include the full statement.
📊 Relevant Data
Iran has been designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism since 1984 and continued its support for terrorist-related activity in 2021, including support for groups like Hezbollah.
Iran - Country Reports on Terrorism 2021 — United States Department of State
Major causes of Iranian immigration to the United States after 1979 include political unrest following the Islamic Revolution, economic sanctions, high unemployment, and instability from conflicts like the Iran-Iraq War.
Background on the Center — Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, San Francisco State University
The FBI has increased monitoring of possible Iran-backed sleeper cells in the US, with officials noting heightened efforts amid tensions, though no specific attacks on US soil have been executed recently.
Iran has utilized Shahed one-way attack drones in strikes against US military positions in the Middle East, demonstrating capabilities for drone-based attacks.
Iran war tests US ability to combat cheap attack drones — AP News
As of 2024, California has the highest Iranian population in the US at approximately 210,128 individuals, representing about 0.54% of the state's population, compared to the national Iranian American population of around 750,000 (0.23% of US population).
Iranian Population by State 2026 — World Population Review
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Karoline Leavitt publicly demanded that ABC News retract a story claiming the FBI had 'warned' California police that Iran wants to retaliate with offensive drones, calling it false and intentionally alarming.
- Leavitt said ABC’s story was based on 'one email' about a 'single, unverified tip,' and accused ABC of omitting the word 'unverified' even though it appeared in the FBI email.
- FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson posted side‑by‑side images of the ABC wording and the actual FBI alert, highlighting that ABC or a source left out 'unverified.'
- Under this pressure, ABC News updated its story with an editor’s note acknowledging that the FBI’s fuller alert described the intelligence as unverified and revised its article to include the full statement.
- Leavitt asserted, 'TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did,' going farther than prior cautious language about the tip being unverified.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly said Wednesday there is “no imminent threat” to the state despite the FBI alert about a possible Iran-linked drone attack.
- The FBI alert, quoted in the article, described unverified intelligence that Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise UAV attack from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast against unspecified California targets if the U.S. struck Iran, and explicitly stated there was no additional information on timing, method, target or perpetrators.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later posted on X that the message to law enforcement was based on “unverified intelligence” and asserted, “No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.”
- President Trump, asked about the alert at Joint Base Andrews, said it was being investigated and framed it as one of “a lot of things happening,” while LAPD and San Francisco police said they are monitoring global events and coordinating with state and federal authorities.
- FBI issued an alert to police departments warning that Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise UAV attack from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast targeting unspecified sites in California if the U.S. struck Iran.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly stated there is 'no imminent threat' to the state but said authorities are in a 'posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios.'
- President Donald Trump, asked about the FBI alert at Joint Base Andrews, said the possible plot is 'being investigated' and remarked, 'All we can do is take ’em as they come.'
- Police departments in Los Angeles and San Francisco said they are monitoring world events and working closely with state and federal authorities in response to the threat information.