Tipsheet

The White House Pushes Back on Reports That Iran Could Be Targeting the West Coast With Drone Attacks

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 12, 2026 2:30 PM

The White House and others have pushed back on reports that Iran could be targeting California with drone attacks in retaliation for Operation Epic Fury.

ABC reported Wednesday that the FBI had issued a warning to California state police departments that unidentified vessels off the state’s coast could potentially launch drones against unspecified targets in the Golden State. However, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, ABC failed to note that the warning itself cited “unverified” reports.

"This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people," Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, Thursday. "They wrote this based on one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip. The email even states the tip was based on *unverified* intelligence. Yet ABC News left out this critical fact in their story! WHY?"

"TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did," she added.

The original quote from ABC's reporting reads:

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

However, the actual quote began: "We recently acquired unverified information..."

Even California Governor Gavin Newsom pushed back on claims about possible Iranian drone attacks against the state, assuring Californians that dedicated teams are actively collecting intelligence and working to ensure the state’s security.