US Treasury Secretary Bessent Moves to Military Base After Iranian Threats
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently moved out of his Washington-area home and onto a military base after Iranian threats against his life, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.
A Treasury spokesperson confirmed the move and said Bessent “will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats,” and that he remains committed to the campaign to squeeze Iran’s economy.
US officials concluded in recent weeks that Iranian plotting against current and former American officials had reached a more advanced stage, based in part on intelligence about threats to Bessent, according to the report. The Times said the severity of the threats to him is unclear, that Iran’s ability to carry out large-scale attacks in the United States and overseas is limited, and that US officials have nonetheless deemed some targeted Iranian threats serious.
Bessent has led the economic pressure campaign against Iran since August, when he launched “Operation Economic Outcast,” which targets Iran’s digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping, and seeks to cut off funds to the Revolutionary Guard, which also controls much of the economy.
Bessent is the latest senior official to leave a Washington-area home for a military base or other protected housing, following at least half a dozen last year, including White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Times reported.