Federal and local officials across the United States have introduced additional security measures over concerns that Iran or its supporters may launch attacks on American soil in retaliation for the recent US-Israeli bombing of Iran.
Steps include increased law enforcement patrols and heightened monitoring around sensitive locations such as places of worship, cultural centres and schools in major cities including Los Angeles, Miami and New York. FBI director Kash Patel said he had instructed counterterrorism and intelligence teams to be on high alert, while the Department of Homeland Security said it was coordinating with federal partners to monitor and thwart potential threats.
Security experts have warned that an attack could come directly from Iranian operatives, from hired individuals, or from those inspired by the conflict. Matthew Levitt, director of the counter-terrorism programme at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Iran would likely want to use capabilities built up over years of operational planning. Authorities are also investigating whether the war motivated a shooting in Austin, Texas, in which two people were killed and 14 injured.
Cyber-attacks are another concern. Iran has previously used distributed denial of service attacks against US banks, and experts say similar attacks could disrupt online banking and energy markets. Jake Braun, executive director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago, said he would be surprised if there were not further attempts to target energy infrastructure.
The heightened threat level reflects a period of escalated tensions following the US attack on Iran on 28 February and earlier Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Officials have urged vigilance but have not disclosed specific operational details.
