Newsom: No Iran drone threat

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there is no immediate threat after the FBI issued an unverified warning that Iran could target the West Coast with drones.

By

National News

March 12, 2026 - 2:12 PM

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says there's no imminent threat to the state from Iran. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images/TNS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there was no imminent threat to the state, despite a warning from the FBI that Iran could send drones to the West Coast in retaliation for war.

Newsom said drone issues “have always been top of mind.”

“We’ve been aware of that information. … It’s all about a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios,” the governor said Wednesday.

The FBI recently warned police departments about Iran and a possible California strike, though the alert also said it was “unverified information.”

“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, in the event the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert said.

“We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” the alert said.

THE ALERT was posted on X by an FBI spokesperson after a report by ABC News. Separately, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that the message to law enforcement was a tip based on “unverified intelligence.”

“No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did,” Leavitt said Thursday.

President Donald Trump was asked about it Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews.

“It’s being investigated, but you have a lot of things happening. All we can do is take ’em as they come,” Trump said.

Related
July 19, 2019
June 24, 2019
June 20, 2019
May 14, 2019