Subhechcha Ganguly 
The United States has intercepted an encrypted message that may have served as an “operational trigger” for sleeper agents linked to Iran following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, according to media reports.
The coded transmission was reportedly detected after military hostilities escalated between the United States, Israel, and Iran. In recent days, the US and Israel have carried out heavy airstrikes on Iranian targets, while Iran has responded with attacks on Israel and several Gulf countries.
According to a report by ABC News, the intercepted encrypted signal may have been intended to activate “sleeper assets” or covert operatives positioned outside Iran. The message, believed to have been broadcast through a radio transmission, appeared to contain instructions meant for clandestine recipients possessing the required encryption key.
A federal alert circulated among US law enforcement agencies warned that the communication could be designed to “activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country.” Intelligence agencies reportedly detected a broadcast station repeatedly transmitting the coded message to multiple countries beyond Iran.
Officials noted that the exact content of the encrypted signal remains unknown. However, the sudden emergence of a station broadcasting internationally has raised security concerns, prompting authorities to increase vigilance.
The alert emphasised that there is currently no specific operational threat linked to a particular location, but law enforcement agencies have been asked to closely monitor unusual radio-frequency transmissions.
Amid the escalating conflict, counterintelligence experts have also warned of the possibility of retaliatory attacks within the United States. Chris Swecker, a former assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said that if militant groups such as Hezbollah or Hamas were ever to carry out violent operations in the US, the current situation could increase that risk.
Following the US strikes on Iran on February 28, FBI Director Kash Patel stated on social media that counterterrorism and intelligence teams had been placed on high alert, with additional security resources mobilised to respond to potential threats.
