ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Let's look at how law enforcement here in the U.S. is preparing for possible retaliation by Iran for American strikes on nuclear facilities. Iran already fired missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar, and a shaky ceasefire with Israel is holding for now. Still, federal authorities are on alert. NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas is here to explain what they're watching for. Hey, Ryan.
RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE: Hi, there.
SHAPIRO: When you talk to federal authorities about this, what do they tell you is their main concern?
LUCAS: Well, look, this is something that they're definitely keeping a close eye on. The Department of Homeland Security put out a bulletin after the U.S. strike on Iran, warning of what DHS called a heightened threat environment. It says there are no specific credible threats at the moment, but there is concern about Iranian hackers potentially targeting computer networks in the U.S. or for violence, including violence directed at the Jewish community here. The FBI and DHS, meanwhile, had a call with state and local law enforcement officials over the weekend, advising them to be on a higher state of alert for potential threats from Iran.
SHAPIRO: In the past, Iran has also been accused of plotting against U.S. government officials. Is that a concern right now?
LUCAS: Certainly there's a precedent for Iran doing that in response specifically to U.S. military action during Trump's first term. The U.S. killed a top Iranian general in a drone strike. Just days later, Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq, but it didn't stop there. It was patient. It took its time. More than a year later, according to American officials, Iran began targeting senior American political and military officials for assassination right here on U.S. soil.
SHAPIRO: Right. I remember Justice Department prosecutors have said one of those alleged targets was John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser in his first term.
LUCAS: That's right. It was in 2022 that the Justice Department brought a case against a suspected Iranian government operative for allegedly plotting to assassinate Bolton. The Feds of course foiled that scheme, as they did others, including one that the Justice Department said just this past November that it had disrupted that was targeting Trump.
Now, former officials tell me that the U.S. has traditionally been a difficult place for Iranian operatives to work. In these alleged plots and others that Iran is allegedly behind, targeting dissidents here in the U.S., Iran's security services have had to essentially try to farm out the work, usually to criminals of one stripe or another. Those folks haven't always been particularly competent, but the threat is still very much real. The U.S. government certainly has taken it seriously. For years, it provided security for the former American officials who were targeted by Iran. Worth pointing out though that Trump revoked security for most of those folks after he returned to office.
SHAPIRO: What is the FBI doing today to address the concerns you've described?
LUCAS: Well, the FBI says that its assets are fully engaged and that it's remaining vigilant. But I spoke with Christopher O'Leary. He's a former senior FBI counterterrorism official. And what he said is that in this sort of situation, the FBI will be keeping a close eye and a close ear on any folks with ties to Iran who are already under investigation - keeping tabs on their movements, their communications to make sure that the FBI knows what they're up to. But O'Leary says that in the past few days, FBI leadership has been shifting resources to address potential threats from Iran, and he says that can't be a short-term thing.
CHRISTOPHER O'LEARY: The resources and the attention, the professionalism that's needed to work these very sophisticated cases, has to be there permanently, enduring. I mean, this is not something that's just going to go away.
LUCAS: O'Leary and other experts say Iran is a sophisticated actor. It traditionally does not respond in a knee-jerk manner. So there's a need, he says, for diligence here on the part of U.S. authorities.
SHAPIRO: NPR's Ryan Lucas, thank you.
LUCAS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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