Iranian American activists in LA call terror threat ‘wake-up call to the country’

Iranian American activists said the terror threat that emerged Wednesday — alerting to the possibility of an Iranian drone strike — serves as a wake-up call to the country, as it was never a war limited to regional security, but one over homeland security as well.

“I think it’s a great wake-up call to those who believe that this was either a war of choice or a war to distract from other political dealings,” Lisa Daftari, a foreign policy analyst with a specialization in Middle Eastern policy and counterterrorism, told The Post.

As the community continues to celebrate the US-Israeli airstrikes that wiped out Iran’s supreme leader in late February, activists say the threat has failed to shake the resolve of Iranians in LA — who remain steadfast on the front lines of Westwood.

“We’re going to continue to fight,” said Arezo Rashidian, an activist and one of the organizers behind the Los Angeles demonstrations.

It was revealed Wednesday that the FBI had been monitoring foreign threats against California, issuing a stark warning to law enforcement: “We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran.”

Rashidian added, “This is very targeted to the protesters because we make a lot of noise. We know, we’ve dealt with it before. They’re scare tactics. We’re not intimidated.”

Amid the shocking reveal, the community refuses to succumb to terror threats.

California has the highest concentration of Iranian dissidents in the U.S., up to 500,000, but it is unclear if that is why the state could be targeted.

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Daftari said she’s had threats made against her throughout her entire career, so it’s “nothing new.”

“The Iranian regime has used propaganda and cyber warfare against the West for years. Many of us here are working closely with law enforcement to report any threats or anything that’s, you know, out of the ordinary to keep the entire community safe.”