NOW – Secretary of War Hegseth says the U.S. is ready for possible Iranian sleeper cell attacks on U.S. soil. pic.twitter.com/v4IpxtBMTE

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“Of course, we’re paying attention to any potentialities there,” Hegseth said Monday morning during a Pentagon press conference. “This is a former regime, a regime that seeks to export that ideology try to sow terror. We’re ready for that. We’ve seen these types of folks before, and the American people can rest assured that we’re vigilant on that.”

Hegseth said a weekend mass shooting in Austin, Texas, involving a suspect who wore a shirt that said “Property of Allah” is now under federal review but that it has not changed the government’s operational posture. On Monday, an update from authorities obtained by CBS News revealed the shooter appeared to be wearing a shirt emblazoned with a design similar to the Iranian flag.

The deadly shooting incident in Texas “Doesn’t change the operation at all,” Hegseth told reporters from the Pentagon on Monday, adding, “I know the authorities are executing exactly the way they should.”

During the period of U.S. and Israeli strikes over the weekend, FBI Director Kash Patel said Joint Terrorism Task Forces nationwide have been directed to remain on alert to identify and disrupt threats.

“Our JTTFs throughout the country are working 24/7, as always, to address and disrupt any potential threats to the homeland,” Patel said, adding that counterterrorism and intelligence teams have been instructed to “mobilize all assisting security assets needed.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she is coordinating with intelligence and law enforcement partners to “closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland.”

Chris Quick, a former FBI agent with roughly 30 years of federal investigative experience who supervised Joint Terrorism Task Force operations, told the Washington Examiner that heightened alert status typically means sharpening focus on existing intelligence rather than launching entirely new operations.

“The way I would describe it is the Bureau’s on heightened alert,” Quick said, explaining investigators would be “monitoring known subjects or cases they have that involve a nexus to Iran or Iranians that are in the country” while coordinating with foreign partners for threat information.

Quick said signals intelligence gathered by agencies such as the National Security Agency is routinely shared with the FBI when communications raise concern.

“NSA picks up communications and then that would be shared with the Bureau to follow up on it,” he said, describing how emails, calls, or other intercepts tied to individuals in the U.S. are evaluated to determine whether they constitute a direct threat or warrant continued monitoring.

He added that crises in the Middle East do not fundamentally change how agencies operate day to day but increase scrutiny of information tied to the region. Authorities are “just being a little bit more aware, a little bit more cognizant of things coming out of the Mideast,” Quick said.

Because DHS personnel are embedded within JTTFs, Quick said interagency coordination is already constant on a day-to-day basis.

“We had one or two people from DHS on our task force, so we’re constantly sharing information,” he said, noting that intelligence is exchanged daily rather than only during emergencies.

Contingency planning around major events

Quick also said the shift is the level of contingency planning around major public events that could present attractive targets. Using large international gatherings as an example, he said security preparations that are already extensive can be further reinforced in light of geopolitical developments.

“You’re going to have more heightened awareness for these big public events now because of what’s happened,” Quick said, noting that an event such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup this summer — already subject to heavy federal oversight — could see additional layers of monitoring because adversaries might view it as an opportunity to “make a big statement.”

Likely areas of concern otherwise remain familiar ones for counterterror officials, including transportation systems, crowded public spaces, and government or military facilities.

“All the usual places, transportation, anywhere where there’s a large amount of people, because that’s the whole purpose of these terrorist attacks,” he said. He added that military bases or energy infrastructure could also be viewed as possible targets for those seeking to disrupt U.S. operations.

Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies have similarly assessed that Iran historically relies on a mix of proportional and indirect responses — including cyber operations, proxy activity, maritime disruption, or limited missile strikes — calibrated to signal resolve while avoiding a broader regional war. Drawing on decades of Iranian behavior, CSIS researchers say Tehran often selects retaliatory options that remain below the threshold of full-scale conflict, using tools such as deniable attacks, economic disruption, or harassment of U.S. and allied interests to create pressure without triggering uncontrollable escalation.

Quick emphasized that federal authorities continue to rely on public awareness as an additional layer of defense. “The bureau always wants the public to be alert. If you see something, say something, report it,” he said.

TEXAS BAR SHOOTING SUSPECT WORE ‘PROPERTY OF ALLAH’ CLOTHING WITH IRANIAN FLAG

DHS disseminated a bulletin this week warning that while a large-scale, coordinated attack is considered unlikely in the near term, Iran-aligned hackers are expected to attempt lower-level cyber activity and that individuals inspired by overseas events could act independently, underscoring why officials say vigilance remains critical as tensions evolve.

The Washington Examiner contacted the FBI for additional updates about the Texas shooting investigation.