California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday there is no "imminent threat" to the state following reports that federal authorities had alerted state officials of unverified claims byIranian-affiliated actorsdesiring to conduct potential drone attacks.
The FBI memo sent to local law enforcement and officials in California contained unvetted and unverified information for their awareness, according to several officials who had seen it.
"We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland," the memo reads, "specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran."
Federal investigators often share information of questioned credibility with local law enforcement partners out of an abundance of caution.
One law enforcement source said federal and state security officials have deemed the information to be "aspirational" in nature and do not currently believe there is an imminent threat.
The US intelligence community routinely collects intelligence on adversaries signaling their desire to cause harm, one law enforcement official source said, but mere claims do not mean adversaries are capable of carrying out an attack.
These types of reports are shared with local law enforcement "daily," the source said.
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Newsom posted on social media that he is "in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials" over potential threats to California, "including those tied to the conflict in the Middle East."
"While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state," Newsom wrote.
President Donald Trump said later Wednesday that the government is investigating the unverified claim.
"It's being investigated," the president told reporters when asked about the FBI memo. "But you have a lot of things happening, and all we could do is take them as they come."
Pressed on if he has been briefed on the potential number of Iranian sleeper cells located within the United States, the president told reporters, "I have been."
CNN's Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.
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