California Governor Gavin Newsom said that there is no “imminent threat” to California after the FBI warned in a memo about unverified claims by Iranian-affiliated actors desiring to conduct potential drone attacks on the state. The FBI memo was reportedly sent to local law enforcement and officials in California.
Gavin Newsom responds to FBI warnings
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, responded to an FBI warning about a potential drone attack on California. The governor clarified that there is no “imminent threat” to the state on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
This was after the FBI sent a memo to local law enforcement and officials in California, containing unvetted and unverified information about the topic, according to several officials who had seen it.
“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,” the memo read, “specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”
The US intelligence reportedly routinely collects intelligence on adversaries signaling their desire to cause harm, one official said (via CNN). They added that the claims do not mean that Iran is capable of carrying out the claimed attacks.
The source said that such threats are shared with local law enforcement “daily.”
Newsom posted on social media that he is “in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials” over threats, including those tied to the conflict in the Middle East.”
“While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state,” Newsrom wrote.
President Donald Trump also commented on the unverified claims. “It’s being investigated,” the President said to reporters asking about the memo. “But you have a lot of things happening, and all we could do is take them as they come.”
