US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his Washington home to a military base after Iranian threats against his life, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, in a highly unusual step for a cabinet secretary.
The move
Bessent recently moved out of his Washington, DC residence and onto a US military base, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Treasury Department confirmed the relocation but did not name the base or say exactly when the move took place. The severity of the threats was not immediately clear, the Times reported.
A senior intelligence official in the Trump administration warned in a memo seen by Reuters late last month that Iranian plots against US personnel and American citizens had reached an advanced stage. A senior administration official told Fox News Digital the threats had reached “more than an advanced stage”.
Why Bessent is a target
Bessent has led the US sanctions and economic pressure campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, since August, aiming to push Tehran to end attacks on shipping and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A Treasury spokesperson said Bessent “will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats” and remains committed to the campaign and to maintaining the blockade, “which together are collapsing Iran’s economy”.
A source familiar with the matter said security concerns increased when the Wall Street Journal published an aerial view of the Georgetown mansion Bessent bought for $12.5 million shortly after his confirmation as Treasury secretary in January 2025. The photo allowed his home to be geolocated, the source said.
Part of a wider threat picture
The move came on the same day the Justice Department announced charges against three men over an alleged Iran-backed plot that included an incident near RAF Fairford air base in Britain. Iran has previously denied plotting to attack officials and people on US soil. Bessent is one of the most visible faces of Washington’s campaign against Iran since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.
