As Operation Epic Fury enters its 13th day, the war with Iran is no longer confined to the Middle East. The FBI has issued a chilling warning to California law enforcement about a potential Iranian drone attack on the West Coast, while security experts warn that Tehran’s sleeper cells inside the United States could be activated at any moment.
The revelation, first reported by ABC News on March 12, has sent shockwaves through the national security establishment and raised urgent questions about America’s homeland defense posture as the conflict with Iran escalates on multiple fronts.
The FBI Warning That Has California On Edge
In a confidential alert distributed to Joint Terrorism Task Force agencies in late February — just days before the U.S. and Israel launched their massive preemptive strikes on Iran — the FBI dropped a bombshell.
“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 homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert stated.
The scenario is straight out of a military thriller: Iranian operatives launching drones from a cargo ship or fishing vessel positioned somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, targeting critical infrastructure along the California coast. While officials have stressed the intelligence is “unverified,” the fact that the FBI deemed it serious enough to distribute to law enforcement agencies speaks volumes.
California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the threat publicly on March 12, telling reporters there was “no imminent threat” to the state but confirming his administration was “monitoring the situation closely” and coordinating with federal authorities.
“California takes every potential security threat seriously,” Newsom said. “We are in constant communication with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.”
Sleeper Cells: The Shadow War Inside America
Perhaps more alarming than the drone threat is the growing concern about Iranian sleeper cells already positioned on American soil. A former FBI counterterrorism chief issued a stark warning in the days following the initial strikes on February 28, saying that Iran has spent years embedding operatives inside the United States for exactly this kind of scenario.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a threat assessment stating that Iran and its proxies “probably” pose a threat of targeted attacks within the United States, although officials assessed that a large-scale physical strike remained unlikely.
President Trump weighed in on March 11, claiming that U.S. intelligence agencies “know where the sleeper cells are” — a statement that raised eyebrows among counterterrorism experts. As one analyst pointed out, if the government actually knew the locations of sleeper agents, “they wouldn’t be sleeper cells anymore — they’d be the subjects of counterterrorism investigations, and then they’d be in handcuffs.”
Security researchers at Homeland Security Today warned that with Iran’s traditional proxy networks — Hezbollah and the Houthis — diminished by ongoing strikes, Tehran may increasingly turn to “awakening sleeper cells or sparking incidents in America and allied nations” as an asymmetric response.
The War Expands: Iran Strikes Gulf Neighbors
While homeland security concerns dominate American headlines, the war itself continues to escalate across the Middle East. Iran has dramatically expanded its targeting to include civilian infrastructure and transport networks across the Persian Gulf.
On March 11, Iran attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted Dubai’s international airport, according to The Guardian. The UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed it was “dealing with incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” while Saudi Arabia reported casualties from Iranian strikes on its territory.
Iran has also begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil flows. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei (the son of the late Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial February 28 strikes), has vowed to keep the strait closed, declaring that “not one litre of oil” will flow through the waterway while U.S. and Israeli attacks continue.
The strategy appears aimed at inflicting maximum economic pain on the West and its Gulf allies. Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel, and countries as far away as New Zealand are reportedly considering fuel rationing measures not seen since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Day 13: Where The War Stands
As of March 13, here is the state of play in Operation Epic Fury:
Military casualties: At least seven U.S. service members have been killed in action, with approximately 140 wounded. A KC-135 refueling aircraft went down over Iraq on March 12 during ongoing operations. On the Iranian side, nearly 2,000 people have been killed according to reports, including — tragically — 175 schoolchildren.
Nuclear targets: Israel announced on March 12 that strikes have killed top Iranian nuclear scientists. The IDF also confirmed the destruction of the Taleghan 2 facility at Iran’s Parchin military complex, which Israel described as a site used for “developing advanced explosives and conducting sensitive experiments” as part of what it called Iran’s “covert nuclear weapon development program.”
Naval war: While President Trump has boasted that the U.S. military has “destroyed Iran’s navy,” officials acknowledge that Iran has shifted to using smaller boats to lay mines and enforce its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM reported destroying 16 Iranian minelayers near the strait on March 10 alone.
Force deployment: Over 50,000 U.S. troops, 200 combat aircraft, two aircraft carrier strike groups, and B-2 and B-1 stealth bombers are currently deployed in the theater, with reinforcements reportedly on the way.
Cost: The Pentagon has revealed a staggering $11.3 billion price tag for the first 13 days of operations.
The Cyber Front
The war extends beyond kinetic operations. According to cybersecurity firm Flashpoint, the conflict has spilled into cyberspace, with both sides engaged in targeting communications infrastructure and digital systems. By early March, targeting patterns expanded to include “strategic communications infrastructure and hardened military facilities,” suggesting a sophisticated, multi-domain campaign.
What Comes Next?
The coming days will be critical on multiple fronts. Domestically, the FBI and DHS are racing to assess and counter potential Iranian retaliation on American soil. In the Persian Gulf, the mining of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to trigger a global energy crisis that could dwarf anything seen since the oil shocks of the 1970s.
Militarily, the question of whether the air campaign can achieve its objectives without a ground invasion looms large. Kurdish Iranian dissidents in Iraq have said a ground operation is “highly likely,” while CENTCOM continues to insist that the current air campaign is achieving its goals of degrading Iran’s military capabilities.
Netanyahu has issued a “veiled threat” to Iran’s new leader, while acknowledging that the strikes may not be enough to collapse the Iranian government. For now, the bombs keep falling, the mines keep spreading, and Americans from coast to coast are asking a question that seemed unthinkable just two weeks ago: Could the war come home?
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.