Iran has warned Donald Trump of sleeper cell terror attacks if the US attacked them.
The warning came at the G7 summit last week, leading to questions over whether this is why the US president left the summit in a hurry, cancelling talks with other world leaders.
NBC has reported that Iran sent a communiqué to the 79-year-old threatening to activate sleeper-cell terror just days before Sunday’s strikes on its nuclear facilities.
According to the reports, Mr Trump received the message through an intermediary at last week’s summit.
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He left the summit on June 16, after which he held talks with US defence officials, as well as ramping up his rhetoric about Iran’s threat.
The White House did not comment on the sleeper cell threat. The Iranian Mission to the United Nations also declined to comment.
President Trump took to social media to state that Iranian retaliation against the US ‘WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.’
US officials remain on high alert for retaliation inside the US.
In a statement today, the Department of Homeland Security warned that the ‘Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.’
The statement further mentioned the increased possibility of terrorist attacks, saying ‘if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.’
Obtained by NewsNation, a memo sent on Saturday Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott warned that ‘thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways.’
He added: “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.”
Retired General Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, said on Sunday that US troops in Iraq and Syria were ‘certainly vulnerable’ to Iranian retaliatory attacks.