US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has recently moved out of his Washington, D.C. residence and onto a US military base after Iranian threats against his life, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The New York Times first reported the move, which comes as Bessent leads the Trump administration’s sanctions and blockade campaign against Tehran.
Intelligence Pointed to Advanced Iranian Plotting
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.
Three people with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times that US officials concluded in recent weeks that Iranian plotting against current and former US officials had reached a more advanced stage, based in part on intelligence about threats to Bessent. Those people spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information.
According to the Times, Bessent’s role leading the financial squeeze on Iran has made him one of the administration officials that Iran most wants to harm. The severity of the threats against him is unclear, both outlets reported.
US officials have noted that Iran’s ability to carry out large-scale attacks in the United States and other territories overseas is limited. But the Times reported there have been specific, targeted threats made by Iran against individuals that US officials have deemed serious, such as a murder-for-hire plot against President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign. Iran has previously denied plotting to attack officials and people on US soil.
Operation Economic Outcast and the Naval Blockade
Since August, Scott Bessent has led the US sanctions and economic pressure campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, to try to push Tehran to end attacks on shipping and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway has been largely closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, CTV News reported, citing Reuters.
The campaign, which coincides with a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, has included sanctions on Middle Eastern bank branches and other financial services firms facilitating transactions with Iran.
A central aim of the campaign is to cut off money to the Revolutionary Guard, the most powerful arm of Iran’s military, which also controls much of the country’s economy, according to the Times. The administration hopes the pressure will help spare the United States from having to resume major military operations in the war Trump started Feb. 28, a conflict the Times described as deeply unpopular and one the president has repeatedly promised to bring to a close.
Bessent and other officials say the pressure campaign is working, shrinking Iran’s economy, driving the collapse of its currency and sharply degrading living standards there. However, US intelligence indicates that Iran’s hard-line leadership is determined to hold on to power at nearly any cost, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the information cited by the Times, which suggests economic pain alone may not lead to regime change.
Treasury Says Scott Bessent Will Not Be Deterred
A US Treasury spokesperson addressed the relocation in an emailed statement.
“The secretary will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats and remains committed to executing Operation Economic Outcast and maintaining the blockade, which together are collapsing Iran’s economy.”
A Georgetown Mansion That Could Be Geolocated
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that security concerns surrounding Scott Bessent increased when the Wall Street Journal published an aerial view of the Georgetown mansion that Bessent bought for US$12.5 million shortly after his confirmation as Treasury secretary in January 2025.
The photo allowed Bessent’s home to be geolocated, and he was relocated to a military base for his safety, the source said, adding: “The news media has an obligation to act responsibly amid growing threats against public officials.”
Other Senior Officials Already in Protected Housing
Bessent is the latest senior Trump administration official to leave a Washington-area home for a military base or other protected housing, the Times reported. At least half a dozen did so last year, including Stephen Miller, now White House chief of staff, and Pam Bondi, then attorney general.
The administration has not disclosed the scope of the threats against top officials, not all of which involve Iran. In Bondi’s case, the Times reported, it was said to relate in part to an uptick in threats she received after the US military snatched former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from a hideout in Caracas and brought him to New York to face federal criminal charges.
Last month, the US government put employees on heightened alert across the Middle East and moved to reduce personnel levels at embassies and consulates because of intelligence showing Iran was in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans, according to the Times report republished by Khaleej Times. The US military also abruptly moved bombers from a base in the United Kingdom, following a suspected terrorist plot against the site.
Threats Traced Back to the Soleimani Strike
Iran has targeted Trump since January 2020, when he ordered the drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. In 2024, federal prosecutors charged Farhad Shakeri, whom they described as an operative of the Guard, with plotting to kill Trump in retaliation for Soleimani’s death.
Several of Trump’s national security officials involved in the lead-up to that strike also faced Iranian threats. The Biden administration kept in place some people’s government security details, the Times reported, while Trump revoked security protections almost immediately after returning to office, including for some former advisers who still saw themselves as his allies.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the war have killed thousands and displaced millions, Reuters reported. American and Israeli attacks have also killed top Iranian officials, including late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
