Officials Reject Report Of Iranian Drone Threat To California
White House press secretary demanded a retraction after an alert about alleged Iranian drone plans off California was reported without the word 'unverified.'
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Overview
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanded that a news outlet retract a story claiming the FBI warned that Iran planned drone attacks against California.
The underlying FBI alert said Iran 'allegedly aspired' to launch unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast against unspecified California targets and that the information was 'unverified'.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his administration was not aware of any imminent threats and described the stance as a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios.
An FBI spokesman posted a screenshot showing the fuller alert with 'unverified,' and the president said the matter was being investigated while police in Los Angeles and San Francisco monitored risks.
The conflict's backdrop includes U.S. strikes on Feb. 28 and ongoing tensions, and officials said there was no additional information on timing, method, target, or perpetrators of the alleged attack.
Analysis
Analysis unavailable for this viewpoint.
FAQ
The FBI alert stated: 'We recently acquired unverified information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California.' It noted no additional information on timing, method, target, or perpetrators.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanded a retraction because the report omitted the word 'unverified' from the FBI alert, which described the information as unverified.
Governor Gavin Newsom stated his administration was not aware of any imminent threats, described it as preparedness for worst-case scenarios, and noted they share information with local partners and have work groups on drone concerns.
The alert was issued end of February 2026, before US strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, amid ongoing US-Israel assaults and Iranian retaliatory drone strikes in the Mideast.
Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco are monitoring risks; LA County Sheriff’s Department is at elevated readiness; FBI posted a screenshot of the full alert confirming it was unverified.
