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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was moved from his home in Washington, D.C., to a military base amid Iranian assassination threats this week, a senior administration official confirmed to Fox News.
Tehran has stepped up its efforts to target senior U.S. officials abroad, with White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also moving to military or protected housing in recent weeks.
The senior official told Fox that the threats against Bessent had reached “a more than advanced stage.” The official declined to say when exactly Bessent was transferred.
Bessent has played a central role in the economic battle against Iran, launching “Operation Economic Outcast” this summer with the aim of isolating the Iranian economy from the rest of the world.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, DC, Wednesday, November 5, 2025. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Bessent said the wave of sanctions would lead to “asphyxiation” of the Iranian economy.
The Treasury Department confirmed Bessent’s departure in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday, adding that the secretary refuses to “be deterred by threats from the Iranian regime.”
The New York Times was first to report Bessent’s move, citing three anonymous sources.
Iran has “significantly increased” its efforts to target Americans abroad, the US intelligence memo warns.
The move comes as President Donald Trump continues to seek to end the war through diplomatic means, moving away from a return to full-scale war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speak during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, Thursday, March 26, 2026. Trump threatened Iran with intensified military action after Tehran rejected Washington’s efforts for a peace deal, with the two sides far apart in their efforts to end the nearly month-long war. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rubio himself on Tuesday downplayed the possibility of a further escalation of the conflict.
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“We do not need to carry out military strikes if we achieve the same objective through economic means and pressure,” Rubio told reporters.
He rejected the idea that the United States and Iran were at an impasse, arguing that sanctions, the naval blockade and other measures were gradually weakening Tehran.
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington, DC (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“They’re bleeding. They’re bleeding economically,” Rubio said. “This is increased pressure on Iran that continues to grow every day.”
The move comes a week after an election in which the war proved a political liability for Republicans.
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The war in Iran was a crucial factor in the House vote for 34 percent of voters, according to the Fox News poll, while about six in 10 voters said the United States made the wrong decision to take military action against Iran.
Morgan Phillips of Fox News contributed to this report.
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