US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent relocated after alleged Iranian threats
Move comes after Wall Street Journal published photo allowing location of official's home to be identified
Quick Look
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been moved to a military base for security reasons following Iran-linked threats, exacerbated by the publication of his home's location in the Wall Street Journal.
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Why It Matters
The US and Iran have been in a state of conflict following an air campaign in February. Tensions remain high due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been moved from his Washington DC home to a military base after Iran-linked threats to his life, according to US media reports.
CBS, the BBC's US partner, said the relocation came after a photo of Bessent's home was published in the Wall Street Journal.
Bessent has been at the forefront of efforts to isolate Iran economically through sanctions and a wider economic blockade.
While the exact nature of the threats against Bessent remain unclear, US intelligence has warned that Iran has "substantially increased" efforts to target Americans, including US officials.
"After the Wall Street Journal published an article featuring an online photo that allowed the location of the secretary's Georgetown home to be geo-located, security concerns began to increase," a source told CBS.
Georgetown is an affluent part of Washington that is home to a number of government officials and prominent residents.
Those security concerns, the source added, prompted authorities to move Bessent to a military base in the area.
In a statement, a Treasury Department spokesperson said only that Bessent "will not be deterred" by threats and "remains committed" to the US effort to pressure Iran's economy.
The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
In September, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned that Iran has "substantially increased" efforts to target Americans.
The New York Times has reported that the Iranian effort includes the targeting of current and former US officials. One source told the newspaper this has "reached a more advanced stage".
Other US officials reportedly on Iran's list of potential targets include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Milley and Bolton's security teams were taken away by the Trump administration shortly after he returned to office last year.
Bessent is one of a number of administration officials that live on military bases. The White House's new chief of staff, Stephen Miller, was moved to a base in late 2025 - before the conflict with Iran began.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both live on military bases, as did former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard.
The US and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran in February, killing its leader and prompting the regime in Tehran to retaliate with strikes on US allies across the region and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and gas usually travels.
In June, the US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the strait, but it collapsed within weeks after the Iranian attacks on shipping resumed and the US reinstated its blockade.
Open Questions
- What specific intelligence led to the immediate relocation?
- Will further US officials be moved to military bases?
