Confusion and concern spread after reports suggested that Iran could target California during rising tensions in the Middle East. However, the White House has strongly pushed back against those claims saying the reports were based on unverified information and should not have been published as a confirmed threat.
White House rejects report of Iran threat
The Trump administration on Thursday has rejected the reports that Iran had threatened to attack California in retaliation for the ongoing US-Israel military campaign.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized a report by ABC News, urging the network to retract its story. The report claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had warned police departments in California about a possible Iranian drone attack on the West Coast.
Leavitt said the story relied on false or incomplete information and was based on a single email sent to local law enforcement.
“This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people,” Leavitt wrote in response to the network’s story.
“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?” she added.
California officials say no ‘imminent threat’
Additionally, the governor of California Gavin Newsom also addressed the situation earlier and said officials were not aware of any immediate danger to the state.
“I am in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials, including at @Cal_OES, to monitor potential threats to California — including those tied to the conflict in the Middle East,” Newsom wrote on X.
“While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state,” he added.
Officials continue to monitor the situation closely while security and emergency teams remain ready in case any real threat appears.
