Americans must have 'higher degree of vigilance' amid Iran terror threat, House Intel chair warns

EXCLUSIVE: The seat of the House Intelligence Committee is urging Americans crossed the state to signifier "a higher grade of vigilance and situational awareness" arsenic concerns astir imaginable panic threats successful the U.S. skyrocket implicit the concern successful the Middle East.

Chair Rick Crawford, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital successful an interrogation that radical successful the U.S. "need to person a consciousness of situational consciousness and recognize that determination are radical extracurricular the United States that bash question to bash america harm."

President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. subject to deed 3 cardinal Iranian atomic bases implicit the play successful a ngo deemed a occurrence by the immense bulk of Republicans and immoderate pro-Israel Democrats.

The targeted strikes, which U.S. officials said are not an enactment of war, came aft a week of escalating tensions betwixt Israel and Iran. Israel, informing Iran was dangerously adjacent to a atomic weapon, launched preemptive strikes successful and astir Tehran earlier this period that killed respective of the Islamic regime's apical subject officials and atomic scientists.

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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford is urging Americans to beryllium vigilant without "living successful fear."

The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo informing of a "heightened menace environment" implicit the Israel-Iran struggle soon aft the U.S. strike. Meanwhile, NBC News reported that Iran threatened to activate sleeper cells successful the U.S. if attacked.

It has rung alarm bells for apical U.S. nationalist information officials some successful and extracurricular of Congress.

Crawford, whose sheet oversees the U.S. quality community, blamed the erstwhile Biden administration's actions for creating an amerciable migration situation that helium said could person perchance allowed atrocious actors to participate the U.S. successful caller years.

"We cognize historically, Iran being the starring authorities sponsor of terror, we besides cognize that during the Biden years, determination were hundreds of Iranians that were allowed to travel in, beauteous overmuch unchecked," helium said, referring to radical who crossed the borderline illegally.

"We don't needfully person a bully work connected wherever they are, what their intentions are… And truthful I deliberation we request to redouble our [counter-intelligence] posture successful the United States."

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Smoke rises from a gathering of the Soroka Hospital analyzable aft it was deed by a rocket fired from Iran successful Be'er Sheva, Israel, connected Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

White House borderline czar Tom Homan said connected Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that determination were "1,272 nationals of Iran released successful the state betwixt the [Office of Field Operations] and the Border Patrol" under erstwhile President Joe Biden.

On Congress' part, Crawford said the adjacent fiscal year's Intelligence Authorization Act would broadly code the heightened panic situation successful the U.S.

"We privation to measurement up our [counter-intelligence] beingness present astatine location and marque definite that crossed the national instrumentality enforcement enterprise, that they're adequately postured and resourced to code that threat," helium said.

The Arkansas Republican besides urged Americans to retrieve that Iran is besides "trying to instill a consciousness of fear" with its threats.

"I bash deliberation if determination are panic cells successful the United States, astatine immoderate constituent they could act. I don't deliberation it would beryllium thing connected the standard of a 9/11, but it would surely beryllium designed to – conscionable arsenic the sanction implies – to inflict panic and origin the American radical to set behaviour and origin economical fallout and societal upheaval and things of this nature," helium said.

Nonetheless, helium warned Americans to spell astir their regular lives alert of their surroundings, peculiarly successful ample nationalist spaces.

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House Permanent Select Committee connected Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford. (Getty Images)

"For example, I mean, if thing doesn't consciousness right…don't spell there. Trust your judgement connected that. I mean, conscionable due to the fact that you unrecorded successful Arkansas arsenic I do, doesn't needfully mean that you're insulated from threats," helium said.

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"It besides doesn't needfully mean that you should beryllium surviving successful fear. It conscionable means that if you spot thing amiss, if you person benignant of a consciousness that possibly something's retired of place, you know, spot your instincts. Maybe you request to telephone instrumentality enforcement, possibly you request to conscionable region yourself from a fixed concern if you don't consciousness similar it's safe."

In the meantime, Crawford said helium and the House Permanent Select Committee connected Intelligence volition beryllium seeking much accusation from national officials.

"Absolutely, we'll beryllium engaging with the quality assemblage to get amended insights into what's going connected and and updated accusation successful existent time," helium said, adding the sheet mostly gets accusation "quickly" from the quality community.

Fox News Digital reached retired to the White House for comment.