US authorities have intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that could potentially act as an "operational trigger" for sleeper agents outside the country, according to a federal government alert shared with law enforcement agencies.
The alert, according to ABC News, says the message was identified through "preliminary signals analysis" and is "likely of Iranian origin". It was reportedly transmitted across several countries shortly after thedeath of Iran's Supreme Leader,Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on February 28.
Officials said the transmission was encoded and appeared to be intended for "clandestine recipients" possessing the appropriate encryption key. Such messages are typically designed to deliver instructions to "covert operatives or sleeper assets" without relying on the internet or cellular networks.
According to the alert, it is possible the signal could "be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country".
Authorities noted that the content of the transmission has not yet been decoded. "While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness," the alert said.
The warning emphasised that there is currently "no operational threat tied to a specific location". However, law enforcement agencies have been advised to increase monitoring of suspicious radio-frequency activity.
Security concerns have intensified since the strike that killed Khamenei. Iran has since named his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader.
Officials have previously warned that Iranian-linked sleeper cells operating in Western countries could potentially be used in retaliation following the US-Israeli attack. The intercept marks an escalation in Iran's global clandestine capabilities and raises concerns among US and allied security services about retaliatory operations as the Iran war entered a second week.
The development comes days after authorities in Qatar announced the arrest of two alleged cells said to be operating on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Qatari media reported that 10 suspects had been detained. According to a report by Al Jazeera Media Network, seven of them had been assigned to monitor "vital and military facilities", while three others were allegedly tasked with carrying out sabotage operations.
Investigators said they recovered the locations and coordinates of sensitive facilities and installations from the suspects, along with communication devices and technological equipment. The detainees have reportedly admitted links to the IRGC.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
