Donald Trump said federal authorities are investigating reports of potential Iranian sleeper cells inside the United States and a possible drone revenge plot targeting California. The concerns followed intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that allegedly served as an operational trigger for sleeper assets. The Federal Bureau of Investigation alerted California law enforcement to a potential unmanned aerial vehicle strike from an unidentified vessel off the West Coast, though officials said they have no specific details on timing or targets.

Speaking after an event in Kentucky, Trump said the threat is being taken seriously and blamed former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies for allowing suspected operatives into the country. He also pointed to what he described as a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, accusing congressional Democrats of hindering security efforts.

The warnings come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, with Iran reportedly using drone warfare as a primary retaliatory tool in the Middle East. Separately, a Tehran-aligned cyber group claimed responsibility for a major cyberattack on Michigan-based medical technology company Stryker, alleging it wiped systems and stole large amounts of data in retaliation for military strikes on Iran. The company said thousands of employees lost access to work systems during the global outage.