US Intercepts Iranian Signal That May Activate 'Sleeper Cells' After Khamenei's Death: Report

Last Updated:March 09, 2026, 21:56 IST

A US alert cited a "preliminary signals analysis" of a transmission of "likely Iranian origin" that was relayed to several countries shortly after Khamenei's death.

The US government has sent an alert to law enforcement agencies, saying it has intercepted encrypted communications in Iran that may serve as “an operational trigger" for sleeper cells outside the country after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a report.

The alert cited a “preliminary signals analysis" of a transmission of “likely Iranian origin" that was relayed to several countries shortly after Khamenei’s death in US-Israeli strikes on February 28. The intercepted transmission was encoded and appeared to be destined for “clandestine recipients", ABC News reported.

The government warned that the communications were similar to the kind of message intended to give instructions to “covert operatives or sleeper cells" without the use of the internet. It warned that the transmission could be “intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country."

Follow for live updates on Iran-Israel War News 

‘Heightened Situational Awareness’

“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.

While the alert clarified that there was “no operational threat tied to a specific location, it instructed law enforcement agencies to increase their monitoring of suspicious radio-frequency activity. As per the report, the alert, if confirmed, could confirm fears that sleeper cells deployed around the West could be used for retaliation after the US-Israeli strikes.

ALSO READ: ‘If They Can Afford $200 Per Barrel…’: Iran Dares US To Continue War As Crude Prices Soar

This came days after Qatar announced the arrest of what it called two cells operating for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Qatari media announced the arrest of ten suspects, seven of whom had been assigned to spy on “vital and military facilities", while three were tasked with sabotage operations, Al Jazeera reported.

Qatari authorities also found locations and coordinates of sensitive facilities and installations, as well as communication devices and technological equipment in their possession, as per the report. The suspects have reportedly admitted their affiliation with the IRGC.

Prior to that, experts in Germany warned that Iran-linked sleeper cells could strike in Europe after a fatwa was issued after Khamenei’s death, prompting Berlin to boost vigilance. Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi issued a fatwa on 1 March calling for holy war against the US and Israel following Khamenei’s death in joint US-Israeli strikes, according to Euronews.

Counterterrorism agencies are already dedicating resources to thwarting potential revenge attacks on US soil, according to several American reports.

News world US Intercepts Iranian Signal That May Activate 'Sleeper Cells' After Khamenei's Death: Report

Read More