Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been moved from his Washington, D.C., home to a military base following Iranian assassination threats, a senior administration official said.
Iran has stepped up efforts to target senior U.S. officials abroad. White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also moved to military or protected housing in recent weeks.
The official said threats against Bessent had advanced to “more than an advanced stage,” but did not specify when he was relocated.
Bessent has been a key figure in the economic campaign against Iran. This summer, he launched “Operation Economic Outcast,” aimed at isolating the country’s economy. He has said sanctions would lead to the “asphyxiation” of Iran’s economy.
The Treasury Department confirmed Bessent’s move on Tuesday, saying he would not “be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats.”
The relocation comes as President Donald Trump pursues a diplomatic path to end the war, rather than return to full-scale fighting. Rubio played down the prospect of renewed military action on Tuesday.
“We don’t need to conduct military strikes if we’re achieving the same objective through economic means and economic pressure,” Rubio told reporters.
He disputed the idea that the U.S. and Iran were at a stalemate, saying sanctions, a naval blockade and other measures were steadily weakening Tehran.
“They’re bleeding. They’re bleeding economically,” Rubio said. “It is an increased pressure on Iran that continues to grow every day.”
The effort is unfolding against a difficult political backdrop for Republicans. The war was a major consideration for 34% of voters in the House vote, according to a voter poll, while about six in 10 said the U.S. was wrong to take military action against Iran.
