A senior American official has quietly moved onto a military base in Washington, a small sign of how far the long shadow of the Iran war now reaches into ordinary government life. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who leads a sanctions campaign aimed at choking Tehran's economy and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, is reported to have done so after Iranian threats against his life. He joins a growing company of Trump officials who have found refuge behind the gates of military housing, while the war itself continues to take a grim human toll across the region.
Bessent Joins Growing List of Trump Officials Moving Onto US Military Bases Amid Iranian Threats
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.
Fort McNair has not traditionally housed political leaders
Mark
Why does a Treasury secretary end up living on a military base?
Mimi
Reports say Iranian threats against his life. He leads Operation Economic Outcast, the sanctions campaign against Iran, so he's a visible figure in the conflict.
Mark
And the mansion detail?
Mimi
A source told Reuters concerns rose after the Wall Street Journal reported his $12.5 million purchase with an aerial photo. The source said the photo let the property be geolocated.
Luke
Worth being careful there. That's one unnamed person's account, and the source wouldn't speak to the timing of the decision. We don't know what the threats against him actually were.
Mark
Is there anything firmer?
Mimi
A memo seen by Reuters from a senior intelligence official says Iranian plots against US personnel are at an "advanced stage." Fort McNair housing for Rubio, Hegseth and Miller is reported by the Washington Post.
Luke
But the memo is general, not about Bessent specifically. And Iran has denied plotting attacks on US soil, while US officials reportedly see its capacity for large-scale attacks there as limited.
Mark
So the missile range announcement matters how?
Mimi
The Revolutionary Guard says it lifted its 2,000-kilometre limit. That reaches parts of Greece, the Balkans, Egypt. It's not the US.
Luke
Right, and Iran isn't known to have missiles going farther. The ICBM point is US officials saying space technology could be repurposed, which is a possibility, not a capability.
O Pulso
- Reported Iranian threats against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have pushed him onto a military base in Washington.
- A mansion purchase reported last year may have made his home easy to locate, sharpening the security alarm.
- Bessent's Operation Economic Outcast sanctions campaign against Iran sits at the center of the escalating confrontation.
- Officials warn that Iranian plots against US personnel have reached an 'advanced stage,' while Iran's expanded missile range raises the stakes.
- Whether more officials follow him into military housing will signal how deep the threat runs.
A senior American official has quietly moved onto a military base in Washington, a small sign of how far the long shadow of the Iran war now reaches into ordinary government life. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who leads a sanctions campaign aimed at choking Tehran's economy and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, is reported to have done so after Iranian threats against his life. He joins a growing company of Trump officials who have found refuge behind the gates of military housing, while the war itself continues to take a grim human toll across the region.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved onto a military base, according to reports first published by the New York Times, making him the latest senior figure in the Trump administration to seek shelter behind military walls. Sources told Reuters the move followed Iranian threats against his life, though how serious those threats are has not been made clear.
The backdrop is a warning in an internal intelligence memo that Iranian plots against American personnel and citizens are at an "advanced stage." Security concerns around Bessent reportedly grew after a Wall Street Journal report on his $12.5 million mansion, whose aerial photograph may have made the home easy to geolocate.
Bessent has been at the heart of the war with Iran since August, leading Operation Economic Outcast, a campaign of sanctions meant to pressure Tehran into halting attacks on shipping. A Treasury spokesperson insisted he will not be deterred and that the campaign is collapsing Iran's economy. Behind these policy battles lies a heavy human cost: thousands killed and millions displaced across Iran and Lebanon.
He is not the first. Rubio and Hegseth already live on Generals' Row at Fort McNair, and the base has also housed Stephen Miller, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem at various points. Whether Iran can strike on American soil remains uncertain, but its Revolutionary Guard has lifted its self-imposed limit on missile range, and the coming weeks will show whether more officials follow Bessent behind the base gates.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved onto a military base, according to US media reports, becoming the latest senior member of the Trump administration to do so over security concerns. The New York Times broke the news, and sources told Reuters the move followed Iranian threats against his life.
How serious those threats were was not immediately clear when the Times first reported the relocation. The broader backdrop is a warning from a senior intelligence official in the Trump administration, set out in an internal memo Reuters saw last month: Iranian plots against US personnel and American citizens, the memo said, are at an "advanced stage."
A person familiar with the matter gave Reuters a more specific account of how Bessent's exposure grew. Security worries around him began to climb after the Wall Street Journal reported last year that he had bought a mansion for $US12.5 million ($18.2 million). The article carried an aerial photo of the property, which, the source said, made it possible to geolocate the home. The source declined to address why the government chose to move him when it did.
Bessent is closely tied to the war with Iran. Since August he has led an economic pressure campaign called Operation Economic Outcast, meant to push Tehran to stop attacks on shipping and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The campaign has included sanctions on Middle Eastern bank branches and other financial services firms that facilitate transactions with Iran. A Treasury spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the secretary will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats and remains committed to the operation and to maintaining the blockade, which together, the spokesperson said, are collapsing Iran's economy.
The wider war has had a heavy human toll. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions. American and Israeli attacks have also killed top Iranian officials, among them the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Bessent is not the first official to move. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have been living two doors apart on Generals' Row at Fort McNair in Washington, DC. The Washington Post reported that the base has not traditionally housed political leaders, but several Trump officials have lived there because of security concerns. After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Stephen Miller, the newly appointed White House chief of staff, moved into military housing at Fort McNair. Former officials Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem were also reportedly in military housing during their time in office. The Atlantic has previously reported that the number of officials in Washington-area military housing was straining availability for uniformed officers.
Whether Iran can actually strike on American soil is a separate question. Iran has previously denied plotting to attack officials or people in the United States. The New York Times reported that US officials had noted Iran's capacity for large-scale attacks in the US and other territories overseas was limited.
Its missile reach is changing, though. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said last week it had lifted a self-imposed 2,000-kilometre limit on the range of its ballistic missiles. That range would put parts of Greece and the Balkans, the whole Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and most of Egypt within reach. Iran is not known to have missiles that fly farther, but US officials have said technology from its space program could be repurposed to build intercontinental ballistic missiles.
What to watch next is whether more officials move into military housing, and whether Iran's expanded missile range prompts further security measures.
Citações Notáveis
The secretary will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats and remains committed to executing Operation Economic Outcast and maintaining the blockade.— US Treasury spokesperson
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Leia o original em ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation ↗