SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The FBI has warned police departments in California that Iran aspires to retaliate for American attacks by launching offensive drones against the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News. Over the years, ABC7 Eyewitness News has reported on other alerts from the FBI that said the Bay Area could be a target for terrorists. This new alert is the first we’ve seen to mention the potential use of drones.

The FBI alert sent to the California police departments reads, “We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”

FBI warns Iran aspired to attack California with drones in retaliation for war: Alert

With the U.S. bombing campaign of Iran now in its twelfth day, Iran has used drones to attack American facilities and allies in the region, but the FBI alert says they “have no additional information on the timing, method, target or perpetrators of this alleged attack” on California.

California Governor Gavin Newsom activated a state emergency operations center when the war started to monitor risks to California. During a webinar on another issue on Wednesday, the governor spoke about the FBI drone alert.

“We are aware of that information, and we transfer that information, in real time, to our local partners,” Newsom said. “Drone issues have always been top of mind. And we’ve assembled some work groups specifically around those concerns.”

When pressed about whether he is concerned about the possibility of a domestic terror attack in the U.S. that is backed by Iran, President Donald Trump said he is “not.”

“This is extremely alarming,” said Elizabeth Neumann, ABC News National Security Contributor. “We know that Iran’s approach to combating the United States and Israel is through asymmetric warfare. They cannot take us on militarily.”

Neumann worked for the Department of Homeland Security in counterterrorism during the first Trump administration, and she explains why an alert about drones potentially coming from the ocean would go to local police departments.

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“State and local law enforcement are our eyes and ears on the ground, so alerting them for suspicious behavior or anything that looks out of the ordinary is an important tool to be able to help the rest of the federal government’s protective measures,” said Neumann.

East Bay Congressman Mark DeSaulnier is highly critical of the U.S. bombing of Iran, and we spoke about the idea of a drone attack in California.

“Living in such, odd and stressful times, you have to take all of this seriously, but you also have to take it with a grain of salt,” DeSaulnier said. “Should we be concerned? Absolutely. But we’ve got to go about our business and our day, take care of our families and our jobs and our communities, while we’re concerned about the international situation.”

Late Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie commented on the FBI drone alert.

“We have been in constant communication with our state and federal partners who have assured us there are no imminent threats to us here in San Francisco,” said Lurie.

ABC7 checked with police and sheriff’s departments around the Bay Area, who say they are in constant contact with their state and federal partners. They also told us there is no specific intelligence indicating any threat to the Bay Area.

Oakland Police Department

We have spoken with our federal partners, who informed us that there may be a heightened risk due to the conflict in the Middle East. To ensure the safety of our community, we are maintaining close contact with local, state, and federal law enforcement. OPD will keep monitoring the situation and determine if there is a need to increase police presence.

San Francisco Police Department

The SFPD is always ready to respond to any emergency that may occur in San Francisco, and we are closely monitoring events in the Middle East and around the world. We’re in communication and working closely with our local, state and federal partners.

San Jose Police Department

SJPD works closely with our federal partners to stay informed about potential threats and intelligence that may impact our region. As a matter of practice, we do not comment on specific intelligence or alerts. At this time, there is no known threat to our community.

A simmering Denver Public Schools rivalry is two big wins away from a historic main event.

Denver East and Northfield are playing in opposite sides of the bracket of the Class 6A Final Four on Thursday. If both win, it will set up the first all-DPS championship game in the half-century since girls basketball became a sanctioned CHSAA sport.

There is no love lost between the programs, who have played a handful of physical, tense games over the last two seasons. That includes three showdowns this year and last year, over which the re-established old guard Denver East owns a 5-1 record against upstart, relatively new Northfield.

“It’s been a really competitive rivalry between the top teams in the DPS,” said Denver East head coach Carl Mattei, “and this has been brewing for the last couple of years for bragging rights in the city.”

The Angels have seen a resurgence under Mattei, who is in his fourth season on City Park Esplanade. Denver East is the last DPS girls team to win a hoops title, accomplishing the feat in 2010, and is one of only two DPS programs to do so, along with Montbello in 1997.

Mattei, who built Regis Jesuit into a powerhouse, went to eight title games and won three of them in his 18-year tenure with the Raiders. He was initially talked into applying for the Denver East job by a couple key DPS stakeholders, including Angels boys coach Rudy Carey and ex-longtime district athletic director John Andrew.

‘They don’t need to go play in the suburbs’

Mattei said he took the job because “when I looked at what Denver East could be, I thought it could be the Cherry Creek of DPS (girls basketball).” The Angels were successful under the prior coach, Dwight Berry, who led them to the 2010 title. But Denver East struggled to consistently make deep tournament runs.

“I had to get the kids to believe that they could compete with the Grandviews, the Cherry Creeks, the Regis Jesuits, the Highlands Ranches,” Mattei said. “Players in (the Denver East neighborhood) can actually stay in the city and represent our city, and be part of being the jewel of the city that is the Denver East Angels. They don’t need to go play in (the suburbs).

“That’s what Rudy and (Denver East principal) Terita Walker wanted for this program, and I think that’s where we’re at right now.”

The Angels are headlined by senior forward Mairead Hearty, a San Diego State commit who is averaging 16.9 points a game. Junior guard Grace Hall, a Division I recruit, is averaging 12.3 points. And senior sharpshooter Liana Valdez, a Western Nebraska commit who is a four-year starter like Hearty, can make teams pay from beyond the arc.

Hearty, who lives a couple blocks from Denver East, is jazzed with the ascension of the program at the school she walks to. The Angels went from a first-round playoff exit in Mattei’s first season, to the Sweet 16 the next, to the Great 8 last year and now the Final Four.

SEATTLE — Iran’s national soccer team will no longer participate in the upcoming World Cup, citing security concerns tied to escalating tensions surrounding the war in the Middle East.

Iran’s minister of sports and youth announced the decision this week, saying the team would not have adequate security and that its safety could not be guaranteed if players traveled to compete. The move comes months before Iran was scheduled to face Egypt in June in Seattle.

It remains unclear what will happen to that matchup or other matches involving Iran that had been scheduled in the United States.

Iran says country can’t take part in the FIFA World Cup because of US attacks

The announcement has drawn reactions from Iranian Americans in the Seattle area, some of whom said they are disappointed for the athletes who worked to qualify for the tournament.

“I’m totally disappointed for the players, frankly, who have worked so hard to get here,” said Etan Basseri, a local Persian American. “They’ve qualified for previous World Cups, and now they’re essentially being punished because of the decisions of this regime.”

“Individuals, whether they’re Iranian, whether they’re Israeli, no matter who they are, they should not be punished for the actions of their government,” he added.

“I have this mixed feeling,” Ali Kimiai, an Iranian American living in the Seattle area, told KOMO News. “I love soccer. I grew up with soccer. I still play soccer, and I like to be involved with the World Cup as much as I can, especially if the team representing Iran, where I was born, is playing.”

“But on the other hand, with all the atrocities that have happened over the past two to three months, it’s very hard to support the Iranian national team or the government right now,” Kimiai said.

Political Tensions Surround the Decision

Iran’s matches were previously scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Seattle.

The withdrawal comes amid broader political tensions involving Iran’s national teams.

Iran’s women’s team recently made headlines after players refused to sing the current regime’s national anthem before their match in Australia. Following the game, at least five players have since applied for asylum in Australia and were granted humanitarian visas.

“The regime is also afraid of sending these teams out because they don’t know if they send them, are they going to join the opposition, are they going to apply for political asylum?” Shayan Arya, another Iranian-American in the Seattle area, said. “It’s going to be a big disaster in terms of the propaganda.”

“As far as the Iranian people are concerned, they don’t look at this like a war; they look at it as liberation,” Kimiai said.

What Happens Next

It remains uncertain what will happen with the matches originally scheduled in the United States.

Officials with Seattle’s FIFA World Cup 2026 organizing committee said they have not yet received any notice that the schedule will change.

In a statement to KOMO News, officials with SeattleFWC26 said:

“All match scheduling decisions rest with FIFA. At this time, SeattleFWC26 has not received any communication from FIFA indicating a change to our current match schedule, and our work continues uninterrupted.”

Some Iranian-Americans feel the international soccer governing body should take further action.

Kimiai said he believes FIFA should consider banning Iran’s national team entirely.

“FIFA itself should ban the Iranian soccer team, because not less than two months ago, the regime committed the atrocity,” Kimiai said. “They killed 30,000 people in two days, and I don’t think people should even allow the Iranian team to attend the World Cup.”

According to reports, President Donald Trump met with FIFA’s president earlier this week and said Iran’s team would be welcome to participate in the tournament.

ESPN reports FIFA’s rules on how to replace a team that withdraws are unclear. If Iran does not participate, countries such as Iraq or the United Arab Emirates could potentially take its place in the tournament.

For now, the fate of Iran’s scheduled World Cup matches, including the game planned in Seattle, remains uncertain.