The president seems to be taking seriously these indications that the Iranian regime still seeks avenues to retaliate against the U.S.
If it ever faced a real threat to its existence, the Islamic Republic has been suspected of having the capability to activate its terror cells in the West, according to Iran-watchers. Although the ceasefire between Tehran, Israel, and the United States appears durable, the hazards posed by Iran’s asymmetric capabilities persist.
“Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran, has never been higher,” wrote U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
As Jewish Insider reported on Monday, U.S. officials do not yet believe that the threat has dissipated:
Iran also reportedly sent a message to President Donald Trump days before the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, threatening to activate a terrorist network inside the United States if the U.S. struck Iran, NBC News reported.
A Department of Homeland Security public bulletin warned that the conflict in Iran could prompt attacks in the United States, and that a specific direction from Iran’s religious leadership could increase the likelihood of homegrown violent extremist mobilization. It also warned of potential cyberattacks.
Those warnings put the arrest of 130 Iranian nationals since the start of direct hostilities between Iran and the United States in perspective. Some of those detainees are unlikely to pose a threat to U.S. national security. Others may have. If Iranian government assets were swept up in these raids, it would not be the first time U.S. law enforcement rolled up active Iranian cells on American soil.
In addition to the terror threat, the National Security Administration warned issued a Monday communique warning that “Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated cyber actors—including hacktivists and Iranian government-affiliated actors — may target U.S. devices and networks for near-term cyber operations.” It advises “critical infrastructure asset owners” to review their security posture and assess their weaknesses before it’s too late.
The president seems to be taking seriously these indications that the Iranian regime still seeks avenues to retaliate against the U.S. and Israel. On Monday, Trump denied that he is engaged in any negotiations with the Islamic Republic, backtracking from his preference for additional negotiations designed to seek a permanent resolution to the Iranian nuclear threat. Of course, the president’s hostility could have something to do with the fatwas issued by two Iranian ayatollahs over the weekend calling on Muslims around the world to murder both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran’s asymmetric and terroristic capabilities may have been overhyped by those who sought to avert a U.S. strike on Tehran’s nuclear targets, but the threat is not imaginary. The Iranian nuclear program was an expression of the Islamic Republic’s menace, not the threat itself. Iran will continue to imperil the West for as long as that regime remains in power.