The FBI issued a warning to U.S. state and local law enforcement in March, highlighting an elevated threat from Iran’s government to targets within America, even as the White House sought to downplay the likelihood of an attack.
This information comes from a law enforcement intelligence report reviewed by Reuters.
The March 20 report, compiled by the FBI and other federal intelligence agencies, warned that the Iranian government “poses a persistent threat” to U.S. military and government personnel and buildings, Jewish and Israeli institutions, and Iranian dissidents in the U.S.
Despite the warnings, the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center had not identified broad threats to the American public, the report noted.
President Donald Trump has publicly minimized the possibility of Iranian attacks on American soil in recent months.
When questioned outside the White House on March 11 about whether he was concerned about an attack in the U.S., Trump said, “No, I’m not.”
The president escalated his rhetoric this week, declaring on Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran failed to meet his demands, though he later delayed the threatened assault by two weeks, contingent on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The “Public Safety Awareness Report” was released weeks after reports by Reuters and other news outlets indicated that the White House had blocked the release of a similarly described intelligence product, citing the need to ensure information was properly vetted before publication.
“The entire Trump administration is working together to protect the homeland and the American people – as they always do,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
“Media outlets should not attempt to irresponsibly sow fear by reporting on individual law enforcement memorandums that may lack broader context.”
The FBI and NCTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ali Karimi Magham, a spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Nations, declined to comment.
Majority of Americans oppose the war
Americans have had negative views of the war, with two-thirds saying the U.S. should end its involvement quickly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll in March found, making the public perception of any threat especially relevant.
The March 20 FBI report was obtained through open records requests by the national security transparency nonprofit Property of the People and shared with Reuters.
The report highlighted “the potential for elevated physical threats” to targets in the U.S. by the Iranian government following the start of the conflict.
“Violent extremists with a variety of ideological backgrounds, including those who oppose the U.S. or Israel, also may see this conflict as a justification for violence,” the report stated.
The report said Iranian security services have attempted to kidnap and kill Americans in recent years.
While it says most plots in the U.S. have involved firearms, other methods included “stabbings, vehicle rammings, bombings, poisoning, strangling, suffocation, and arson.”
Tehran prefers to use operatives with existing U.S. legal status or access to the U.S., the report said.
The Iranian government in the past has monitored social media, livestreams and map applications to choose targets and assess security measures, the report said, adding that the government also used hacking tactics such as phishing emails.
The Iranian government “also has attempted to lure victims to other countries geographically closer to Iran, almost certainly for kidnapping and eventual executions,” it said.
The report warned law enforcement officials should remain vigilant to possible threats and share concerning information with federal authorities.
