In late February, the FBI warned California police of the possibility of “a surprise attack using drones” by Iran “in the event that the United States launched strikes against Iran.”
And if the war in the Middle East were to spread to the United States? That is the fear of the FBI, which warned California police of possible Iranian drone attacks on the West Coast of the United States.
“We recently learned that in early February 2026, Iran reportedly considered launching a surprise drone attack from an unidentified ship off the American coasts, targeting unspecified locations in California, in the event that the United States would launch strikes against Iran,” the FBI details in a message released in late February and seen by ABC News. The Israeli-American strikes against Iran began on February 28.
However, the FBI specifies that it “has no additional information regarding the timetable, modus operandi, target, or presumed perpetrators of this attack.”
The terrorism of the Iranian state, a concern in France as well
Since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, the Iranian regime has been responding to Israeli and U.S. bombings by striking Gulf countries.
“Iran sees terrorism as an extension of its foreign policy – an asymmetric way to reach its enemies beyond its borders,” noted researcher Matthew Levitt in the specialized publication CTC Sentinel.
Since its creation in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has regularly been accused of organizing or sponsoring attacks in Europe, such as targeted assassinations of opponents or bomb attacks. Intelligence services from several countries claim that it has also forged partnerships with various criminal networks to whom it outsources violent actions.
In France, the terrorism of the Iranian state is a concern for French intelligence. According to BFMTV, eight people are currently in custody and another person is under judicial control, all suspected of having committed or prepared terrorist actions on behalf of Tehran in France. Since late February, France has placed a dozen Iranian dissidents under police protection.
