US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on November 13 that he would not be cowed by Iranian threats against his life, after moving from his Washington, DC, residence to a US military base. In an interview on CNBC, Bessent said he follows Secret Service instructions and had moved in part because the Wall Street Journal published an aerial photo of his Georgetown home in January 2025.
Bessent said Iran was acting like a dangerous cornered animal. Iran has denied plotting to attack officials and people on US soil.
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.
Bessent has led the US sanctions and economic pressure campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, since August 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 February 28. 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.