The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is reportedly reassigning agents from immigration cases to counter potential attacks from Iranian agents in the U.S., sources told NBC News on Tuesday.
Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division Don Holstead reportedly reassigned the agents over concerns that Iran may activate sleeper cells in the U.S. as reprisal for President Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites on June 21, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Iran has engaged in espionage and attempted assassinations on American soil for years, and recent tensions have elevated fears that its network may still have the capacity to harm Americans.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a memo Sunday warning of a “heightened threat environment” in the U.S. amid Trump’s strikes, warning that Iranian government affiliates could launch terrorist attacks on American soil. Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel on Truth Social on Monday evening, marking a pause to the conflict; as of Tuesday, the ceasefire appeared to hold. (RELATED: How Likely Is An Iranian Sleeper Cell Attack On US Soil?)
FBI agent on the scene outside a house fire on Mandeville Street that may be connected to the mass casualty Bourbon Street attack where at least ten people were killed when a person allegedly drove into the crowd in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day on January 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Iran briefly attacked a U.S. air base in Qatar Monday, but reportedly warned the U.S. in advance of the strikes to minimize casualties and find an off-ramp in the conflict.
Iran has attempted to assassinate its adversaries’ officials in the U.S. on multiple occasions, including an attempt on the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in 2011 and most recently trying to kill an Iranian dissident with U.S. citizenship while potentially targeting President Donald Trump.
One Iranian Intelligence operative, Majid Dastjani Farahani, was suspected by U.S. law enforcement of trying to target former Trump administration officials in March 2024, which included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Lenient border enforcement under former President Joe Biden allowed hundreds of Iranians into the U.S. with minimal vetting, raising concerns that individuals on missions from Tehran could still be present in the American homeland.
Moreover, the Biden administration apprehended 1,504 Iranian nationals at the southern border, but ended up releasing 729 into the U.S. between fiscal years 2021 to 2024.
The FBI told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that it would not comment on specifics for operations and personnel.
“We continuously assess and realign our resources to respond to the most pressing threats to our national security and to ensure the safety of the American people,” the FBI told the DCNF.
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