A viral claim warning Americans about “Amazon package bombs” planted by Iranian agents has been spreading rapidly online as tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate.
The alarming posts claim terrorists are disguising explosive devices as Amazon deliveries and leaving them on doorsteps across the country.
The claim exploded across social media earlier this week, with one widely shared post receiving more than 300,000 views on X.
Government sources told reporters the rumor originated from Real Raw News, a website widely known for publishing fabricated or satirical stories.
Charles Marino, a former senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and former Secret Service supervisor, said the larger concern is not viral rumors but unknown threats inside the U.S.
“It’s not really a question of whether or not threats are inside the US, because they are,” Marino said.
Marino warned that intelligence officials simply do not know how many potential threats may already be inside the country.
“Nobody can say what the probability is, because we don’t know the numbers and that’s a scary place for us to be,” Marino said.
Federal data shows the U.S. Border Patrol encountered 1,504 Iranian nationals at the southern border between fiscal years 2021 and 2024.
According to the figures, 729 of those individuals were released into the United States.
Officials also say the true number could be far higher due to migrants who crossed the border without being apprehended.
Border authorities estimate millions of so-called “gotaways” evaded detection entirely during the same time period, per the Daily Mail.
Experts say the concern is that some of those unknown entrants could include hostile actors.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said Tehran has spent years building networks capable of carrying out attacks abroad.
“Iran has for many years tried to develop networks within the US to be able to carry out attacks on demand,” Brodsky said.
Brodsky explained that Iran has allegedly worked with international criminal groups that operate across borders.
“These networks are based on transnational criminal syndicates that have safe harbor in Iran,” Brodsky said.
Investigations have previously linked Iranian intelligence operations to organizations ranging from biker gangs to international drug cartels.
Officials say such relationships can provide Tehran with operational partners while allowing the regime to deny direct involvement.
Security analysts also warn that retaliation could come from several directions.
Iran could activate sleeper agents already inside the United States, encourage attacks from allied terror groups, or inspire lone wolf extremists.
Federal authorities say no confirmed retaliatory attacks have occurred on American soil since the conflict escalated.
Still, investigators say online disinformation campaigns are already spreading rapidly.
Several viral posts falsely claimed Iranian forces struck American warships or caused massive US casualties.
Analysts say the goal of these campaigns is psychological warfare.
Security officials warn that the most realistic threat scenario would involve attacks against crowded civilian locations.
“Nobody can say that none of these things are a possibility,” Marino said. “That’s a very bad place for the country to be.”
