Bessent confirms he moved to a military base after Iranian threats, joining other Trump officials in military housing

WASHINGTON (Nov. 14) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that he left his Washington-area home and moved onto a military base under Secret Service instructions, saying Iran has made death threats against him over the administration's economic pressure campaign on Tehran, USA TODAY reported.

"I'm not going to be cowered that they have initiated death threats against me," Bessent said in an interview with CNBC on Friday. "The other members of the cabinet, we're not going to be cowered. And it means what we are doing with Operation Economic Outcast is working." He described Iran's Revolutionary Guard as acting "like a dangerous cornered animal."

Operation Economic Outcast is the Treasury Department's sanctions and financial pressure campaign against Iran, launched in August alongside U.S. military action. A Treasury spokesperson said earlier in the week that Bessent "will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats" and remains committed to the campaign and the blockade, CNBC reported. The department has not said what specific threats led to the move.

The relocation was first reported Wednesday by The New York Times. A person familiar with the situation told NBC News that security concerns grew after The Wall Street Journal published a photo that allowed Bessent's Georgetown home to be located. The Journal ran the aerial image in January 2025, shortly after he bought the house.

Bessent is the latest senior official reported to be living in military housing. The New York Times has reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live on military property, and The Atlantic previously reported the same for White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, according to NBC News.

The move came the same week the Justice Department announced terrorism-related indictments against three Iranian nationals accused of involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, CNBC reported. Iran has denied plotting attacks on U.S. officials or on American soil.