The White House pushed back on an alert that said Iran threatened to attack California. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says an FBI report got misrepresented, and that one missing word changed everything. That word? Unverified.
The debacle started when ABC News posted a breaking alert on social media, claiming the FBI had warned California police that Iran could retaliate against U.S. military actions by launching drones at the West Coast. News spread fast across X and other platforms. Leavitt jumped in not long after.
“This post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people,” she wrote. The story, she wrote, was based off a single email that only mentioned an unverified tip 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.
They wrote this based on one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip. The email even… https://t.co/jKey9ahsNk
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 12, 2026
“The email even states the tip was based on unverified intelligence,” she said. “But ABC News left out that critical detail.”
Ben Williamson posted what he called the original alert sent to Joint Terrorism Task Force partners, says The Mirror US. The message included the phrase “unverified information.” The message itself also indicates that it was just describing a scenario, and not a solid, actionable plan.
It said authorities had “recently acquired unverified information” that Iran might try a surprise attack using drones launched from a ship off the U.S. coast. The possible targets? Somewhere in California, but only if the U.S. struck Iran first.
The alert also admitted there were gaps. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” it read.
White House’s comments come as tensions between Washington and Tehran stay high. On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched fresh strikes inside Iran, hitting military bases, nuclear sites, and senior commanders.
Iran fired back with drones and missiles at U.S. military positions in the Middle East. Bases in Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar have all been hit according to recent reports. U.S. forces shot down a lot of those attacks with missile defenses. And both sides have taken losses.
🚨 Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt demands ABC News retract a report claiming Iran could launch drones toward California, calling it “false information” based on an “unverified tip.”
“No such threat to our homeland exists.”pic.twitter.com/EkTeLsQgeK
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 12, 2026
The Pentagon says seven American service members have died since fighting ramped up. Reportedly, there have been at least 1,270 deaths inside Iran, including dozens killed when Israel hit a residential area in Tehran.
Security officials have worried for years about possible retaliation outside the Middle East. Iran has already shown it can launch long-range drones and has naval units in the Persian Gulf with smaller ships. Analysts say drones from ships could get close to the U.S. coast without flying all the way from Iran.
As for California and the possible threat to it, the higher ups say they’re working with federal agencies. A spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom said the state’s Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with local and national security agencies to keep watch and protect the public.
