White House Calls for Retraction of ABC Report Over Iran Drone Threat

The White House is demanding that ABC News retract a report warning that Iran sought to launch drone attacks on California, saying the story relied on a single unverified tip and overstated the threat.

The dispute centers on a leaked FBI bulletin circulated in February that described a scenario in which Iran could retaliate for U.S. strikes by launching unmanned aerial vehicles from a vessel off the West Coast toward unspecified targets.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to social media to demand that ABC News remove the story.

“They wrote this based on one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip,” Leavitt wrote on X. “The email even states the tip was based on unverified intelligence. Yet ABC News left out this critical fact in their story! WHY?” she said.

“TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did,” Leavitt added.

After the news of the warning surfaced, officials in California rushed to ease fears, emphasizing that there is no imminent danger.

“While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X. The assurance was shared by government and law enforcement officials across the state.

Iran is increasingly relying on drones in war

The controversy comes as drones play a growing role in the ongoing conflict between Iran, the U.S., and Israel. Following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, Iran retaliated by launching large waves of drones and missiles against targets across the Middle East. 

Air defenses have intercepted many of the projectiles, but several attacks have caused damage to ports, ships, energy facilities, and other infrastructure. Iranian drone strikes have also targeted oil infrastructure and shipping routes in the Gulf, disrupting energy markets and contributing to rising oil prices.

Military officials say the attacks illustrate how relatively inexpensive drones have become one of the defining weapons of modern warfare.

Drones reshape the battlefield

Unlike American-made MQ-9 Reaper drones, which fly long distances, carry out missions, and return to base, the drones most often associated with Iran’s attacks are primarily the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136. Both are one-way attack drones designed to fly to a target and explode on impact. Russia has used the same designs in Ukraine under the names Geran-1 and Geran-2.

Because the aircraft can be produced far more cheaply than many of the missile systems used to shoot them down, they allow countries or militias to overwhelm air defenses through sheer volume. 

The growing military drone market is expected to be worth $66 billion by 2035, according to research firm Global Market Insights.

Crypto funding appears in drone investigations

Crypto has also played a part in the growing drone supply chain. In 2022, Ukraine reported spending over $54 million in crypto on drones and other military expenses. That same year, Chainalysis reported that pro-Russian groups donated over $2 million in cryptocurrency.

In September, U.S. prosecutors sought to seize more than $500,000 in USDT from an Iranian national accused of supplying navigation technology used in military drones deployed by Iran. Days later, Israeli officials called for the seizure of $1.5 million in Tether allegedly tied to Iran.

Authorities said the funds were held in a private cryptocurrency wallet and were allegedly linked to a company that supplied navigation equipment for Shahed drones, which have been deployed in conflicts around the world.

ABC News has since updated its article to reflect new reporting on the alert. Still, the episode illustrates how rapidly emerging technologies like drones can trigger public fears as they become a growing part of modern warfare.