Iranian sleeper cells may target rural America, former FBI agent warns

An expert against terrorism says that Iranian dormant cells can hide “at sight”, while waiting to hit rural areas in America.

After the strikes of the American army on several Iranian nuclear sites on June 22, the Ministry of Internal Security (DHS) published a national bulletin of the system of terrorism council, declaring that there is an increased risk of terrorism supported by Iran or domestic terrorism.

“The probability of violent extremists in the fatherland are independently mobilized to violence in response to the conflict would probably increase if Iranian leaders published a religious decision calling for the violence of reprisals against targets in the fatherland,” said the bulletin. “Iran also has a long -standing commitment to target representatives of the American government which he considers responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020.”

Former Jonathan Gilliam FBI special agent who worked on working group working groups, these terrorist cells could be in our backyard.

University campuses could be zero soil for Iranian sleeping cells plotting to harm the Americans, warn the experts

Aerial view from downtown Bozeman, Montana at dusk. The main street with sparkling lights of local businesses and vehicles. Dramatic sky while the sun sets on the mountains. (ISTOCK / DIANEBENTLEYRAYMOND)

“When these dormant cells can be, it’s in sight,” said Gilliam. “And this is the real terrifying part of this is that putting people in place, as we have seen in the past four years, everyone rushes because some quantities of people could come here and enter here.”

Gilliam said the border policies of the Biden administration have enabled Iranian immigrants to come to the United States with impunity, creating the conditions for dormant cells to exist.

“They could even go to the border and say that they [want to] Look for asylum and Biden administration, instead of putting them in DHS or ice housing and holding them there so that they can have their first appearance. To be checked and whether or not they get asylum, “he said about Iranian illegal immigrants.

The former secretary of Obama dhs sounds alarmer on Iranian sleeping cells, describes it as a concern of the “greatest magnitude”

The card of us strikes on Iran. (Fox News)

Following the American attack on Iranian nuclear installations, American immigration and customs application (ICE) buffered the implementing efforts for Iranian illegal immigrants.

Since June 18, more than 130 Iranian nationals have been arrested, there have been a federal sources to Fox News, adding that 670 Iranians are in police custody.

Gilliam said these dormant cells could target American rural areas because they are “not well protected”.

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The Iranian faithful hold their hands as signs of unity with the supreme chief of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israel’s attacks against Iran, downtown Tehran, Iran, June 20, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl / Nurphoto via Getty Images)

“It is possible that dormant cells target more rural states instead of a big city. In fact, given the evolution of attacks by fundamental Islamic attackers that we saw in Israel on October 7, 2023 and in India this year, it is possible that a similar attack can occur in a place of rural and outdoor entertainment or a populated vacation place,” said Gilliam.

Bill Melugin from Fox News contributed to this report.