US Treasury Secretary Bessent moves to military base amid Iranian threats - NYT
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved out of his Washington-area home and onto a military base following threats against his life from Iran, The New York Times reported on November 10, citing three people familiar with the matter.
US officials have concluded in recent weeks that Iranian plots targeting current and former American officials have reached a more advanced stage, based partly on intelligence concerning threats against Bessent.
The precise nature and severity of the threats against the Treasury secretary remain unclear.
Since August, Bessent has led an economic pressure campaign against Iran, seeking to isolate the country financially through tougher sanctions and restrictions on trade routes. According to the NYT's sources, his role has made him a particularly prominent potential target.
A Treasury Department spokesperson said Bessent "will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats" and remains committed to the campaign.
Bessent is the latest senior official in President Donald Trump's administration to leave a private residence for more secure accommodation. At least six officials took similar steps last year, including Stephen Miller, now White House chief of staff, and Pam Bondi, who was then attorney general.
The reported threats come amid heightened US security concerns over possible Iranian attacks.
Last month, Washington placed government personnel across the Middle East on heightened alert and reduced staffing at diplomatic missions following intelligence indicating that Iran was preparing attacks against Americans. The US military also relocated bombers from a base in the United Kingdom after a suspected terrorist plot targeting the facility.
Bessent's economic campaign is aimed in part at cutting off funding to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful military organization with extensive influence over the country's economy.
The Trump administration hopes economic pressure will reduce the need to resume major military operations in the war against Iran, which began on February 28 and has become deeply unpopular in the United States.
Bessent and other administration officials argue that sanctions are weakening Iran's economy. However, US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran's leadership remains determined to retain power despite mounting economic hardship, according to the NYT.
Iran has previously been accused of plotting attacks against senior US officials, including Trump. In 2024, US prosecutors charged a man they described as an operative of Iran's Revolutionary Guard with involvement in a plot to assassinate Trump in retaliation for the 2020 US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
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