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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his Washington, D.C.-area home to an undisclosed US military base after Iranian threats against his life, CBS News reported on Wednesday, November 11. The New York Times first reported the move on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter, and Reuters followed.
A senior administration official told Fox News that the threats against Bessent had reached "more than an advanced stage." The official would not say exactly when he was relocated. The Treasury Department confirmed his departure and said in a statement that he would not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats.
Exposure of the home appears to have played a part. According to Al Jazeera, a source told Reuters that the Wall Street Journal had published an aerial view of Bessent's Georgetown mansion, which allowed the house to be geolocated, and that he was moved for his safety. He bought the home for $12.5 million shortly after his confirmation in January 2025.
How serious the threat is remains unclear. US officials say Iran's ability to carry out large-scale attacks in the United States and overseas is limited. Iran has previously denied plotting attacks on officials or on US soil.
Bessent has led Operation Economic Outcast, a sanctions campaign launched in August that aims to cut Iran off from the global economy and push Tehran to end attacks on shipping and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports in April.
The relocation follows a run of warnings about Iranian targeting. Last month, US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton told Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an unclassified memo that Iran had substantially increased its efforts to target Americans. A memo seen by Reuters in late October said Iranian plots against US citizens had reached an advanced stage, according to a senior intelligence official. The New York Times, citing three sources, reported that this includes more targeting of current and former US officials.
The State Department has adjusted staffing at Middle East posts, and the US military removed some aircraft from two British bases after reported Iranian threats. On Tuesday, US prosecutors charged three Iran-backed operatives over alleged plots in the United States and Europe, including one targeting RAF Fairford in England.
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