Officials have moved U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from his Washington D.C. home to a military base over alleged threats to his life from Iran.
According to multiple reports, citing anonymous officials, officials became concerned about Bessent’s safety after the Wall Street Journal published an article regarding his home. This article showed an image “that allowed the location of the secretary’s Georgetown home to be geolocated,” an anonymous source told CNBC.
The reports said the exact nature of the threats against Bessent were not clear but that Iran might target U.S. officials, including Bessent.
“The secretary will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats and remains committed to executing Operation Economic Outcast and maintaining the blockade, which together are collapsing Iran’s economy,” a US Treasury spokesperson told Reuters.
Miiltary.com reached out to the Treasury for comment.
Officials on Military Bases
As treasury secretary, Bessent is involved in economic sanctions against Iran that the U.S. has implemented since the war began in February.
Since August, for instance, he has led Operation Economic Outcast. This has made him a potential target, officials told the New York Times, who first reported Bessent’s move.
Other officials already live on a military base, including the White House’s new chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who was moved to a base in 2025.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the G20 Finance Ministerial in Asheville, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also live on military bases. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard also lived in this manner during their time in the administration.
The U.S. has also taken precautionary measures in other ways, such as removing several aircraft, including air refueling tankers and special operations transport planes, from a Royal Air Force base in England on Monday because of an alleged threat from Iran, according to the Journal.
Iran War Continues
Hegseth said in a speech on Tuesday that President Donald Trump had “kicked their teeth in,” speaking of Iran, promising that anyone pursuing American service members would have to “come through me.”
After a 45-minute Oval Office meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Trump told reporters there is “positive momentum” toward ending the war and declared that “Iran militarily, is effectively over” due to its heavily depleted capabilities.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves after attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu, central Philippines, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp said Thursday that two tankers carrying oil had caught fire after an “accident” on an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helped tankers travel the strait in response.
At least 23 Americans have died during the conflict, counting noncombat deaths, and more than 860 service members have been wounded.
A recent Reuters Ipsos poll showed 71% of Americans want Congress to pass legislation to end the war in Iran. The conflict was cited in numerous exit polls as a major reason for Democrats’ big legislative victories last week.
