The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that were sent out following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli attack <\/a>on February 28, ABC News reported<\/a>, citing a federal alert sent to law enforcement agencies. <\/p>\n The message could \u201cbe intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country,\u201d the alert warned. <\/p>\n The alert noted that the transmission was \u201clikely of Iranian origin.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhile 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,\u201d the alert added. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Iran may have activated \u2018sleeper assets\u2019 across the globe after the U.S. and Israel began attacking over a week ago, according to a report (Getty Images) open image in gallery<\/p>\n Iranian officials have named Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader (AP)<\/p>\n The alert cautioned that there is currently \u201cno operational threat tied to a specific location.\u201d <\/p>\n Law enforcement agencies have been called by the U.S. to increase their monitoring of suspicious radio frequencies following the U.S. interception of the encrypted message. <\/p>\n Sleeper assets, also referred to as sleeper cells, are spies or terrorists hiding out in other countries who often live quiet and unassuming lives until they are called to act on a mission. <\/p>\n The U.S. ramped up its monitoring for Iranian sleeper cells last June, after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n New warnings of sleeper assets were issued after the U.S. and Israel began carrying out military airstrikes on Iran February 28. <\/p>\n Dozens of Iranian officials, including the country\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were killed in initial strikes. Iranian officials announced Sunday that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would be his successor. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on March 8 (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) open image in gallery<\/p>\n Americans protest as the conflict enters its second week (Getty Images)<\/p>\n The conflict has widened across the Middle East, with Iran retaliating against Israel and U.S. military bases and allies in the region. At least 10 countries have been targeted through Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes and drone attacks, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.Iranian forces have also struck U.S. bases or intercepted assets in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, according to the report. <\/p>\n U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 1,230 people in the country, according to the Associated Press. Seven U.S. service members have also been killed in the conflict.<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Iran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2264730770.jpeg\")
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