Top U.S drone expert warns Iran could make deadly California strike any time

Friday, March, 13 2026 - A top US Army expert has warned that Iran could use drones to make a deadly strike on California at any time.

The FBI issued an urgent warning to cops across the Golden State of a potential Iranian drone strike, an alert that surfaced on Wednesday read.

The Bureau’s alert said: “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.”

Iranian forces have the technology, the ability, and the motivation to launch withering drone attacks on targets in California, according to Brett Velicovich, a former US Army intelligence and special operations soldier who spent years using drones to hunt and kill the leaders of ISIS and other terrorist groups.

Velicovich said America’s enemy is almost certainly trying to launch an attack on California's shores with the use of drones. The FBI’s warning to local law enforcement, he said, shows how serious the threat really is.

“We’re extremely vulnerable to drone attacks,” Velicovich said. “We’re not prepared for this.”

The drone expert said that Iran doubtless has in its possession thousands of attack drones that can be controlled from thousands of miles away and can fly hundreds of miles before striking their targets.

“These are long-range, one-way attack drones that are extremely capable and can be sent in swarms,” explained Velicovich, who in July was praised by President Trump as one of the nation’s foremost experts in drone warfare.

Velicovich said such drones could be launched by ships, as the FBI warned local law enforcement agencies that could be the case in California. Such launches could even be executed from unmanned drone ships, he said.

“You don’t even need a human anywhere near this,” he said. “You can launch these things over Starlink from a boat 1,000 miles away.”

Velicovich said Iran’s “strategy is to sow fear” with drone attacks, striking crowds of people or important infrastructure for maximum horror.

“It’s population centers, infrastructure, ports, locations that can disrupt the economy,” he said. “This is an issue that deserves national attention.”

Sporting events, hotels, office buildings, government offices and military bases are all possible targets, said Velicovich.