Iran, as I've pointed out many times, has a habit of having its mouth write checks its butt can't cash. This may be another case of just that - but it's an alarming notion nonetheless: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, has issued a warning that Iran apparently has plans to carry out a drone strike against the American West Coast.
The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.
“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, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” according to the alert distributed at the end of February. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
Here's the thing: Iran doesn't have any navy left. But it may be within their reach to simply hire, or take over, one of these ghost fleet ships that are scurrying around the world's oceans. A ship doesn't have to be modern to carry a whole bunch of drones; all it has to do is stay afloat long enough to launch those drones.
Iran is, however, using up its drones at an alarming pace.
The warning came just as the Trump administration launched its ongoing assault against the Islamic Republic. Iran has been retaliating with drone strikes against targets throughout the Mideast.
A spokeswoman for the FBI office in LA declined to comment.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There are a number of ways Iran could pull this off.
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First of all, hitting our West Coast ports would hurt. I'm not giving anything away by mentioning this; they are the obvious targets. Commercial ports are not defended against drone strikes, and even slowing down traffic in these ports would hit Americans in the pocketbook.
Second, the Iranians may well work with the Mexican cartels to pull off something, in an exercise of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." It's a near-certainty that Iran and the cartels share a desire to stick a thumb in the eye of the United States and, especially, the Trump administration. This may be one way to do it.
Still, this is a long, long reach for Iran now, especially after the hammering they have been taking. A healthy dose of skepticism is probably in order.
Fox News' Bill Melugin reports he has reached out to Governor Newsom's office on the matter, and that the Governor's office reports that California has raised its security posture.
NEW: I reached out to California Gov. Newsom’s office to ask about ABC reporting that police in California were warned by the FBI that Iran may seek to attack the state with drones launched from a boat offshore.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 11, 2026
Newsom’s office told me the state has elevated its security…
The post continues:
Newsom’s office told me the state has elevated its security posture since the start of the war & the FBI bulletin was one of several security updates the state receives from federal partners, which are then disseminated to local law enforcement. “The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is actively working with state, local and federal security officials to protect our communities,” Gov. Newsom spox Diana Crofts-Pelayo tells @FoxNews.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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