An FBI bulletin warning that Iran “aspired” to launch a seaborne drone attack on California has set off alarm bells across the state — just days before the Academy Awards — even as officials insist there is no credible, imminent threat behind the intelligence.
What the FBI Memo Says
The memo, first reported by ABC News and obtained by CBS News on Wednesday, was distributed to local law enforcement through the FBI’s Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force late last month.
It states that as of early February, Iran had allegedly planned to use unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast to strike unspecified targets in California — but only in the event the United States conducted strikes against Iran.
The bulletin offered no details on timing, method, specific targets, or who would carry out such an attack. The FBI classified the information as “unverified.”
Multiple federal and state law enforcement officials told CBS News there is no known, specific threat behind the memo.
One California-based federal law enforcement official called it flatly “not actionable.” Another emphasized that no further intelligence has emerged to corroborate the tip since it was first received.
Officials Downplay the Threat — But Stay Alert
The response from California officials has been carefully calibrated: take it seriously, but don’t panic.
Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged the memo during a press conference Wednesday, saying the state has been coordinating with emergency services and federal partners since the war began.
He noted that drone-related threats have been “top of mind” and that his administration has assembled working groups specifically around those concerns.
The LAPD stated there are no known or specific threats to Los Angeles but said it continues to monitor global events for potential impacts on the city.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed it is operating at an “elevated level of readiness.”
Samantha Vinograd, a former DHS assistant secretary for counterterrorism, told CBS News that the memo did not appear to signal an imminent threat.
She described the intelligence sharing as standard procedure — the FBI routinely passes along even unverified tips so state and local partners can maintain awareness of broader threats.
Former FBI special agent Jeff Harp echoed that assessment, explaining that the bureau operates under a directive to “over-communicate” about potential threats.
The information doesn’t need to be fully confirmed before it goes out — the goal is to make sure agencies are prepared.
The Bigger Picture: Sleeper Cells and Encrypted Signals
The drone memo arrives in the context of a rapidly escalating security environment that has put U.S. counterterrorism officials on edge since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28.
Days after the joint U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, U.S. intelligence intercepted an encrypted shortwave transmission believed to have originated from Iran.
The broadcast — a monotone voice reading strings of numbers in Persian — was relayed across multiple continents and bore the hallmarks of a classic “numbers station” communication, the kind used during the Cold War to send coded instructions to deep-cover operatives.
What a “numbers station” transmission sounds like
A federal alert sent to law enforcement agencies described the transmission as a potential “operational trigger” for “sleeper assets” outside Iran.
The message was encrypted and transmitted outside of internet and cellular networks, designed to reach only those with a matching decryption key.
Officials cautioned that no specific operational threat has been tied to the broadcast, but instructed agencies to increase monitoring of suspicious radio-frequency activity.
The Council on Foreign Relations published a report on March 5 warning that sleeper agents, lone actors inspired by Iran, and cyberattacks are possible methods of retaliatory action against the U.S. homeland.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has long maintained covert networks through its Quds Force, and security analysts say the regime’s playbook includes using criminal intermediaries, proxy groups, and self-radicalized individuals to strike adversaries without triggering direct military confrontation.
Senator Ted Cruz described the current terrorism risk as “quite high,” pointing to recent incidents including a mass shooting in Austin with possible Iranian-regime connections and the attempted IED bombing at Gracie Mansion in New York City.
Oscars Security on High Alert
The timing of the FBI memo — surfacing publicly just days before the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday — has added an unavoidable layer of anxiety to Hollywood’s biggest night.
Security preparations at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood were already extensive, but they’ve now been ratcheted up further. SWAT teams are monitoring for drone threats, including drones capable of carrying explosives.
A one-mile security perimeter of barricades and fencing surrounds the venue. Undercover counterterrorism officers from the LAPD, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security are stationed throughout the area.
Sharpshooters are positioned on nearby rooftops. About 1,000 private security officers will supplement law enforcement at and around the venue.
Oscars executive producer Raj Kapoor addressed safety concerns at a press conference Wednesday, saying the show has close collaboration with the FBI and LAPD.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated there is no specific or credible threat to the city.
One law enforcement official acknowledged to Deadline that it is “near impossible” to fully lock down the airspace above an outdoor event — a sobering admission — but added that security forces are “tight and ready for anything.”
The War Comes Home — At Least Psychologically
Whether or not the drone threat is credible, the fact that it exists at all underscores a reality the American public is only beginning to absorb: the war with Iran is not a distant abstraction confined to military bases in the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes against U.S. military installations in the Middle East have already included drone attacks, and the Iranian military’s Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drones have proven effective in combat.
U.S. intelligence has also flagged concerns about Mexican drug cartels acquiring drone technology — and the possibility that Iran’s known presence in Mexico and South America could enable the regime to project threats closer to U.S. soil.
A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that the 12-day U.S.-Israeli bombardment is believed to have severely degraded Iran’s ability to carry out an attack like the one described in the memo.
U.S. Cyber Command reportedly disrupted Iranian communications infrastructure, dropping the country’s internet connectivity to as low as one percent in the opening hours of the strikes.
But degraded capability is not the same as eliminated capability. And as the intercepted encrypted transmission suggests, Iran’s response to the killing of its supreme leader may not come in the form of a conventional military strike — but through covert networks, lone actors, and asymmetric tactics that are far harder to detect and prevent.
The FBI and the White House have declined to comment on the memo. For now, officials say the public should remain vigilant but not alarmed.
That’s an increasingly difficult balance to strike in a country now fighting a war whose consequences are rippling from the Persian Gulf to the streets of Hollywood.
Anti-hate message: Politicians and news anchors may label a possible threat like this a “terrorist attack.” It’s important to remember: Iran didn’t start this war and had no intention of attacking the U.S.—regardless of what the President and Pete Hegseth say. Washington, D.C., and the media have a habit of referring to the people of any Middle Eastern country (besides Israel) defending itself against an attack as “terrorists,” based on ethnicity and bias.
