Iran reportedly threatened the US with sleeper cell attacks if its nuclear facilities were struck, a message delivered to President Donald Trump before recent strikes, according to NBC News.
In the days leading up to Saturday’s strikes on its nuclear facilities, Iran reportedly sent a communiqué to US President Donald Trump, threatening to activate sleeper-cell terror within the United States if it were attacked, NBC News reported on Sunday.
Sources indicated the message reached Trump via an intermediary during the Group of Seven summit in Canada last week. Neither the White House nor the Iranian Mission to the United Nations has commented on the alleged threat.
Following the strikes, Trump asserted on social media that any Iranian retaliation against the US “WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”
Vice President JD Vance addressed the threat on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, stating that the administration is examining the possibility of a homeland attack “very closely” and expressing confidence in law enforcement’s ability to manage the situation.
Vance did raise concerns about a “lack of full accounting” of individuals who may have entered the country during President Joe Biden’s term without adequate vetting, noting, “We know that some of those people were on terrorism watch lists.”
Earlier on Sunday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, held a briefing with the press at the Pentagon, in which he went into detail about the successful covert military operation targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
Dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, the mission struck three nuclear facilities inside Iran. Gen. Caine described the strike as “deliberate and precise,” emphasizing the exceptional coordination and professionalism exhibited by US joint forces in what he characterized as a “complex and high-risk mission.”
The objective, according to Caine, was to severely degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure. He noted that the operation was planned and carried out across multiple domains and theaters, showcasing the US military’s global reach and precision.
“Very few people in Washington knew about the timing and nature of the plan,” Caine stated.
