The United States has intensified its monitoring of suspected Iranian sleeper cells following President Donald Trump’s decision to launch strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, effectively drawing the US into Israel’s ongoing conflict with Iran. The targeted sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—were, according to Trump, “totally obliterated,” prompting a rapid increase in domestic intelligence operations by both the FBI and the White House.
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Sleeper cells, typically composed of covert operatives living quietly in Western countries, are believed to be capable of carrying out hostile missions upon receiving orders. Security experts now warn that Iran may attempt to activate these cells in retaliation for US involvement in the conflict. As early as the beginning of the month, FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly expanded surveillance efforts, especially targeting individuals with suspected links to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed organisation proscribed as a terrorist group by the US.
This level of concern is not new. Following the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020—ordered by Trump—US federal agencies significantly expanded their counterterrorism operations. Several individuals within the US have since been charged in connection with alleged plots to assassinate Trump and his former national security adviser, John Bolton. A recent threat assessment by the Department of Homeland Security warned that Iran remains the most likely foreign source of terrorism directed at the US.
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In response to the strikes, Iran’s foreign minister accused the United States of betraying nuclear negotiations and vowed retaliation. While the precise extent of the damage remains uncertain, Iranian leaders have described the attacks as “unforgivable.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, echoing the president’s earlier warning, stated that any retaliation by Iran would be met with dire consequences, calling it potentially “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.”
