White House downplays FBI alert about potential Iran drone threat

An FBI advisory referencing an unverified tip about a potential Iranian drone concept off the California coast circulated to multiple California law enforcement agencies — only to be forcefully downplayed by the White House hours later.

The advisory, distributed through federal security channels, referenced intelligence suggesting Iran had “aspired” to launch unmanned aerial systems from a vessel offshore. The email did not identify specific targets, dates or operational details.

The advisory was shared with California state officials and forwarded to local law enforcement agencies, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, including police departments in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley. Local officials emphasized there was no indication of a specific or imminent threat but confirmed they were coordinating with federal partners.

DHS SHUTDOWN MAY DELAY US TERROR RESPONSE AMID IRAN CONFLICT, EXPERT WARNS

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson posted the alert to X Thursday, which he said went to joint terrorism task force partners. 

“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, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event of U.S. strikes on Iran,” the alert said, according to Williamson. “We have no additional information.” 

After reports about the advisory surfaced publicly, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sharply criticized the coverage.

“This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people,” Leavitt wrote. 

She said the reporting was based on “one email that…