Bessent relocates from home to base after Iran threats, report says
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his home in the Washington, D.C. area to a military base following a reported Iranian threat to kill him, according to The New York Times.
The relocation was reported by The New York Times, which cited three people familiar with the matter. The Times also reported that Iranian plotting against U.S. officials has reached a more advanced stage.
U.S. national intelligence chief Jay Clayton warned last month that Iran has substantially increased its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond. Those efforts include beefing up the targeting of current and former U.S. officials such as Bessent.
Bessent has spearheaded a U.S. push to cripple Iran's economy, vowing an "economic onslaught" against Tehran through a web of sanctions.
"will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats"
A Treasury Department spokesperson said in a statement to The Times that Bessent "will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats" and that he is still committed to his campaign to squeeze Iran's economy.
Clayton's warning, contained in an unclassified memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came as the State Department adjusted staffing at diplomatic posts across the Middle East and the U.S. military pared back its footprint in the region.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war are gathering steam, with Rubio saying he saw no need to resume major combat operations against Iran because economic sanctions and other restrictions were working so effectively.
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