Iranian Threats Prompt US Treasury Secretary to Move to Military Base

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently moved from his residence in Washington, D.C., to a military base following Iranian threats against his life.

The New York Times was the first to report the news. A senior intelligence official in President Donald Trump’s administration warned in a memo reviewed by Reuters late last month that Iranian plots targeting Americans had reached an advanced stage.

Bessent has led the campaign of sanctions and economic pressure that Washington is imposing on Tehran, known as the economic isolation campaign, since August, in an attempt to push Tehran to halt attacks on ships and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This vital waterway has remained largely closed since the start of the war on February 28.

The economic pressure campaign, which coincides with the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, included sanctions on branches of banks in the Middle East and other financial services companies that facilitate transactions with Iran.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement sent via email, “The Iranian regime will not deter the Secretary, who remains committed to implementing the economic isolation campaign and continuing the blockade, both of which are causing the collapse of the Iranian economy.”

A source familiar with the matter said security concerns surrounding Bessent intensified after The Wall Street Journal published an aerial photograph of the Georgetown mansion he purchased for $12.5 million shortly after his confirmation as Treasury Secretary in January 2025.

Iran has previously denied planning to attack officials and individuals on U.S. soil.

The New York Times reported that U.S. officials indicated that Iran’s capacity to carry out large-scale attacks in the United States and other overseas locations is limited.