US: Fearing to Be Targeted By Iran, Bessent Takes Shelter on Military Base 

By Staff, Agencies 

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has relocated from his Washington-area residence to a military base as the Trump administration intensifies its economic campaign against Tehran and maintains its confrontation with the Islamic Republic.

Three people familiar with the matter told The New York Times that Bessent moved to protected military housing after US officials alleged that Iranian plans targeting current and former American officials had reached a more advanced stage.

Since August, Bessent has overseen a US economic pressure campaign aimed at isolating Iran financially through expanded sanctions and restrictions on trade routes. 

A Treasury Department spokesperson said in a statement that Bessent remains committed to the administration's efforts to squeeze Iran's economy.

Bessent is among several senior Trump administration officials who have moved out of private residences in the Washington area and into military bases or other protected accommodation.

At least half a dozen officials took similar measures last year, including Stephen Miller, now White House chief of staff, and Pam Bondi, who served as attorney general, with not all of the claimed threats being linked to Iran.

In Bondi's case, the reported security concerns were linked in part to threats she received after the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and transferred him to New York to face federal criminal charges.

The latest security measures come amid Washington's broader escalation against Tehran. Last month, the US government placed personnel across West Asia on heightened alert and reduced staffing at several embassies and consulates, citing intelligence assessments of alleged Iranian plans to target Americans.

The US military also abruptly relocated bombers from a base in the United Kingdom following what was claimed to be a plan against the facility.