FBI warns Iran ‘plotted drone strike’ from mystery ship off US coast | US | News
A chilling intelligence bulletin warns that California law enforcement may be tracking an Iranian drone attack on the US mainland that was launched not from Iranian territory but from an unidentified ship off the American coastline.
The warning in the bulletin reviewed by ABC News describes a scenario in which Tehran allegedly considers unleashing its drones against unspecified targets in California if Washington takes action against the regime.
“We have recently received information that, beginning in early February 2026, in the event of a US attack on Iran, Iran plans to launch a surprise attack on unspecified targets, primarily in California, using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified ship off the coast of the US Homeland,” the alert said.
“We have no additional information regarding the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
Officials did not address which areas Iran might have targeted and how a ship loaded with drones could approach the U.S. coastline undetected.
‘It whips up hysteria’
The credibility of the bulletin was challenged almost immediately, The Sun reported. Law enforcement officials who spoke to NBC News were dismissive of the underlying intelligence, describing it as “raw” and unreliable. One source said the reports “scared people for no reason” and “whipped hysteria”; This is a definition that puts a significant distance between the bulletin and any real operational threat assessment.
Both Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump He moved quickly to silence the alarm. California’s governor told
The California bulletin did not emerge in isolation. For months, US intelligence has been grappling with the possibility of armed drones reaching American soil from unexpected places. A separate bulletin issued in September 2025 flagged the possibility that Mexican drug cartels were considering explosive drone strikes against American law enforcement and military personnel along the southern border, according to the report; this scenario has been described as “unprecedented but plausible”.
Threat from two directions
John Cohen, the former intelligence chief at the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly said that the convergence of Iran’s capabilities, regional presence and new motivation makes the threat environment more dangerous than ever.
“We know that Iran has a large presence in Mexico and South America, they have relationships, they have drones, and they now have incentives to launch attacks,” the report said.
Cohen supported the FBI’s decision to remove the alert regardless of its credibility rating: “The FBI was wise to issue this alert so that state and local residents can better prepare for and respond to these types of threats. Information like this is critical for law enforcement.”
The underlying concern is one that security planners have had for years; The concern is that drones or strike equipment, whether on land or at sea, could be quietly deployed in advance and wait for the moment when a conflict with Iran escalates into something requiring a response on American soil.
