President Donald Trump on Wednesday told reporters he was not worried that Iran might escalate retaliation to include attacks on U.S. territory, responding simply, "No, I'm not." The comment came amid reporting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had circulated an alert warning of a possible drone-related threat aimed at the U.S. West Coast.
The FBI notice, reported by a national broadcaster, said investigators had recently obtained information indicating that as of early February 2026 Iran had allegedly considered carrying out a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States, with unspecified targets in California cited as potential objectives in the event of U.S. strikes against Iran.
According to the FBI text included in the alert, "We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack." The report said the alert was distributed at the end of February. Requests for comment to spokespeople for the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the California governor and the Los Angeles mayor did not receive immediate responses.
The potential threat comes against the backdrop of recent military actions in the Gulf region. Nearly two weeks earlier, U.S. and Israeli forces carried out strikes on Iran, an episode that the bulletin and subsequent reporting said pushed the Gulf into a warlike state. Tehran has responded with retaliatory strikes following the U.S.-Israeli actions that killed top Iranian officials, including the country’s supreme leader.
Federal assessments have not painted the risk as uniform. A threat assessment produced by the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security concluded that Iran and its proxies "probably" pose a risk of targeted attacks on the United States, while concluding that a large-scale physical attack was unlikely.
In public remarks, the president's dismissal of personal concern stood in contrast to the caution expressed in law enforcement and intelligence messaging. The FBI alert referenced an alleged aspiration by Iran and explicitly noted limits to available information on specifics - leaving timing, methods, and precise targets uncertain.
The juxtaposition of presidential remarks and government warnings highlights the differing tones across branches of government as agencies share limited intelligence with state and local partners. The situation, as presented in official messaging, remains constrained by gaps in corroborated detail.
Summary of developments:
- President said he is not worried about Iran escalating strikes to U.S. soil.
- FBI alert warned of an alleged early-February plan involving drones from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast targeting unspecified locations in California.
- DHS intelligence office assessed Iran and its proxies as probably posing a threat of targeted attacks, while describing a large-scale physical attack as unlikely.