US mainland under threat? What FBI memo says about possible Iranian drone strike amid Middle East conflict

A memo circulated by the FBI’s Los Angeles office last week raised the possibility that Iran could plan a surprise attack on California using drones from a ship off the US coast, CBS News reported.

The memo reportedly said the FBI received “unverified” information before the US attack on Iran that the plan would be triggered if it conducted the strikes. It also said there was no further information on timing, method, targets, or perpetrators.





Reacting to the reports, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X on Wednesday, “While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state.”



Newsom’s office added that the memo was “one of numerous security updates the state receives from federal partners daily and disseminates to local law enforcement and emergency responders.”



According to Los Angeles Police Department's statement, “At this time, there are no known or specific threats to Los Angeles. We continue to monitor global events and any potential related threats that could impact Los Angeles.”

Samantha Vinograd, a former DHS assistant secretary, told CBS News: “The Iranian regime has a vast and diverse arsenal of drones that it has deployed throughout the Middle East. We have no indication that the FBI was sharing information on an imminent threat. It is standard operating procedure and prudent for the FBI to share information with its partners to ensure they are aware of the broader threat landscape.”

The alert comes during the US-Israel military operation against Iran, which began last month with strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered retaliatory attacks on US forces in the Middle East.