Some Americans fear violence on home front amid conflict with Iran

USA Today

a day ago

"There could be retaliation here. I feel like it's on everybody's mind," said one man who was visiting Washington D.C. with his son.
NEW YORK – As tensions flared in the Middle East after the U.S. directly entered the conflict between Israel and Iran, some residents and tourists in major American cities say they feel uneasy about the possibility of violence breaking out at home.
At Penn Station, Catherine Wagoner, a kindergarten teacher from Boston waiting for her train home after visiting friends, told USA TODAY she felt less safe traveling since the attacks in Iran.
'Being in New York feels more of a threat – more of a target,' she said, adding, 'I definitely have a lot of privilege, and I don't feel like I'm necessarily the target, so I can recognize that. But I just have a constant state of anxiety about the state of the world.'
Wagoner's feelings were echoed in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll that surveyed 1,139 U.S. adults nationwide and found that some 79% of respondents said they worried "that Iran may target U.S. civilians in response to the U.S. airstrikes."
Since the United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend, Iran responded by attacking a U.S. military base in Qatar, causing little damage and no casualties. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said a ceasefire was in effect between Israel and Iran after he accused both countries of violating an initial agreement. It's unclear whether the current ceasefire will hold.
After the U.S. directly entered the conflict, law enforcement agencies across the country warned of increased threats to public safety and police departments increased their presence at religious centers and large-crowd events.
"The ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States," a Department of Homeland Security bulletin said, warning of an increasing risk of "violent extremists" plotting cyber or terrorist attacks. The warning extends through September.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said additional police units were ordered to religious, cultural and diplomatic sites in coordination with federal agencies. In Washington, D.C., the city's police force said it's maintaining an increased presence at religious institutions. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass made a similar announcement in the wake of the U.S. bombing in Iran.
'I don't know what's going to happen'
At Penn Station, there were no visible signs of increased police security on June 23, just the usual crowd of luggage-toting travelers standing in lines inside the large train hall or sitting on the floor as they waited for their train.
Dolores Broward, 29, who was heading to a family reunion in Texas, said she was nervous about making the trip, her first on a train. She purchased her ticket several weeks ago, before the tensions with Iran escalated.
'I don't know what's going to happen, let alone what it's going to be like on a train,' she said. 'I've never been on a train. But I'll be damned if I go on an airplane. That's scary.'
In the nation's capital, near the Washington Monument, Cindy Pramann, 59, said possible retaliation from Iran has been at the back of her mind since she arrived in the district for a conference.
"D.C. would be a target so that definitely crossed my mind," she said, noting that she lives near New York City and felt a similar anxiety in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that the U.S. would be drawn into a full-scale, prolonged war. "We have a 20-year-old so we're worried for him."
Some who spoke to USA TODAY also mentioned recent politically-motivated and hate-fueled attacks and said the frequency of such incidents is cause for concern.
Earlier this month, a man disguised as a police officer shot two Minnesota lawmakers in their homes, killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. In Colorado, police say a man with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails attacked a group raising attention for Israeli hostages in Gaza, injuring over a dozen people. In May, a gunman shot and killed two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.
'I feel like it's on everybody's mind'
Ron Mahoney and his son, Brenden, who visited Washington from Albany, New York, said the tinderbox situation in Iran seemed ripe for escalation.
"There could be retaliation here," Mahoney said. "I feel like it's on everybody's mind. How could you not have a little bit of thought asking yourself, 'Is my safety protected?'"
Mahoney said the scenario he's considered most is an Iranian sympathizer plotting an attack against U.S. citizens. He cited recent remarks from Trump administration officials about the presence of possible sympathizers in the country illegally, including some who were allegedly on terrorism watch lists, Vice President JD Vance said in a recent interview on NBC News.
Aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump said sleeper cells – including "many from Iran" – entered the country illegally under the previous administration. Their comments came after a Department of Homeland Security bulletin highlighted the risk of extremists "independently mobilizing to violence" if Iran's leadership called on them to do so.
While federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide have warned of the heightened threat environment, they said there were no specific credible threats of violence or terrorism related to the Mideast conflict.
'There's always a risk'
Not everyone felt a sense of unease.
Gabriella Stevens, whose train to Washington from New York was delayed by nearly an hour, said she has no concerns about traveling.
'I feel like constantly in the world, there's a lot that is going on,' she said. 'If you travel internationally, there's always a risk. I personally don't feel concerned about traveling from New York to Washington.'
Stevens, 23, who works in environmental consulting, said she doesn't feel there is an Iranian threat to Americans on U.S. soil. 'I feel like a lot of what may be retaliation will occur at bases that are abroad and not necessarily at home, at least in the short term,' she said.
Erin Palmer, who has lived in Washington D.C. for six years, said while the risk of an attack may have been a momentary thought, she has not altered her routines or been plagued with worry.
She said she feels more unsafe because of the frequency of gun violence, crime and mass shootings in the U.S. than an act of politically-motivated terrorism.
"I think more about shootings here in the city than Iran," Palmer said. "If it happens it happens but it's unlikely."