An intelligence report warns: targets inside the United States under Iranian threat

A U.S. intelligence report has issued warnings about Iranian threats targeting sites within the United States.

According to an intelligence report for law enforcement reviewed by Reuters, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned state and local law enforcement agencies last month of a growing threat posed by the Iranian government to targets inside the United States, at a time when the White House was seeking to downplay the likelihood of an attack.

In the report issued on March 20, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal intelligence agencies warned that the Iranian government “poses a persistent threat” to U.S. military personnel, government employees and facilities, Jewish and Israeli institutions, and Iranian dissidents in the United States.

The report added that, despite these warnings, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Counterterrorism Center had not detected widespread threats to the American public.

U.S. President Donald Trump publicly downplayed the likelihood of Iranian attacks on U.S. soil in response to other intelligence assessments over recent months.

When asked outside the White House on March 11 whether he was concerned about a possible attack by Tehran in the United States, Donald Trump said, “No, I am not concerned.”

The Republican president sharpened his tone this week regarding the conflict, saying on Tuesday that “an entire civilization will perish tonight” if Iran did not respond to his demands, before later postponing that attack for two weeks.

The report issued on March 20, titled “Public Safety Briefing Report,” came weeks after Reuters and other media reported that the White House had blocked the release of a similar intelligence report.

The White House had said at the time that it was working to ensure that any information was properly vetted before release.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement: “The entire Trump administration is working together to protect the homeland and the American people — as it always does.”

She added: “The media should not irresponsibly attempt to sow fear by reporting on isolated law enforcement memoranda that may lack broader context.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Counterterrorism Center have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Ali Karimi Maqam, spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations, declined to comment.