US Intercepts Iranian Signal Possibly Activating Sleeper Agents

U.S. intelligence agencies have intercepted an encrypted communication believed to originate from Iran, which may serve as an activation signal for covert sleeper assets positioned abroad, according to a federal alert distributed to law enforcement.

The transmission, analyzed through preliminary signals intelligence, was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike targeting Tehran, an operation that has escalated tensions in the region. Following his death, Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, was elevated to the position of supreme leader, prompting concerns about potential retaliatory actions from Iranian networks.

The alert, reviewed by federal officials, describes the message as encoded and directed toward clandestine recipients equipped with the necessary decryption keys. It avoids internet or cellular networks, relying instead on radiofrequency methods historically associated with instructions to covert operatives. Analysts assess the signal's international rebroadcast patterns as indicative of an intent to reach prepositioned sleeper assets operating...