Iran is the number one state sponsor of international terrorism, and even though the regime is currently getting shellacked daily by U.S.-Israeli forces in Operation Epic Fury, their terror network is still alive. It’s unknown how many potential killers are in our midst here in the United States.

New disturbing information reportedly emerged Monday in a federal law enforcement alert that indicates the Islamic Republic may have attempted to awaken “sleeper cells” and call them to action:

The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as "an operational trigger" for "sleeper assets" outside the country, according to a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies.

The alert, reviewed by ABC News, cites "preliminary signals analysis" of a transmission "likely of Iranian origin" that was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28.

Kurt Schlichter, senior columnist at our sister site Townhall, warned of the dangers of sleeper cells earlier in March:

READ @KurtSchlichter's column - essential!! Iranian/Hezbollah sleeper cells WILL activate here.

From a law enforcement source in CA:
"All SWAT qualified officers in Glendale in Burbank have been issued additional ammo+level 4 body armor for their patrol vehicles; for the near…

— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) March 2, 2026

The above tweet from RedState editor Jennifer Van Laar continues:

From a law enforcement source in CA:

"All SWAT qualified officers in Glendale in Burbank have been issued additional ammo+level 4 body armor for their patrol vehicles; for the near future, all units will be 2 officers so mandatory surge OT. LASD and LAPD following the same paradigm."

From a military intel source:

"In the Research Triangle area of NC, especially down toward Southern Pines and Ft Bragg, in the next 3 to 6 wks those cells will step in. Hezbollah is embedded completely there and they've been there for a generation; it's the same up and down the East Coast inside the Iranian expat community, and in LA and other places."

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Sleeper cells and lone-wolf attackers are some of law enforcement’s most serious fears, because how can you fight something if you don’t even know it’s there?

The alert continued:

The intercepted transmission was encoded and appeared to be destined for "clandestine recipients" who possess the encryption key, the kind of message intended to impart instructions to "covert operatives or sleeper assets" without the use of the internet or cellular networks. 

It's possible the transmissions could "be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country," the alert said.

FBI Now on Red Alert: Iran Strike Sparks U.S. Sleeper Cell Fears

Although the alert reportedly did not mention any specific known plots or terror cells, it warned that the danger is very much out there:

"While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness," the alert said.

Although the news is extremely unwelcome, it’s also not unexpected. Once we took out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, we knew that there would be attempted retribution. 

Now, we just have to keep catching them before they hit us.

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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