Bessent Moves to a Military Base After Iranian Threats Against His Life
The Treasury secretary left his Washington-area home after a photo let his Georgetown address be pinpointed. Separately, the U.S. moved refueling jets out of an English base over an Iran threat.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved out of his Washington-area home and onto a military base after a series of Iranian threats against his life, CBS News reported Wednesday. The New York Times first reported the relocation.
"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 Treasury Department spokesperson said.
A person familiar with the situation told CBS News that security concerns rose after The Wall Street Journal published an article featuring an online photo that allowed the location of Bessent's Georgetown home to be geo-located. Those concerns, the person said, "have now forced the secretary to relocate to a military base for his safety." CBS News has also reached out to the White House for comment.
Bessent has been the face of the administration's economic campaign against Tehran. He has vowed an "economic onslaught" against Iran through a web of sanctions, which Treasury calls Operation Economic Outcast, alongside a blockade the administration says is wrecking the Iranian economy.
The move fits a broader pattern of warnings. Last month, national intelligence chief Jay Clayton warned that Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond. Clayton's warning was in an unclassified memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by CBS News. It came as the State Department adjusted staffing at diplomatic posts across the Middle East.
The same week, the U.S. military quietly shifted aircraft in Britain. On Monday it moved nine KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes from RAF Mildenhall in southeast England to bases in Germany and Spain. The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, said the move was prompted by a threat from Iran, though it was unclear whether the threat was imminent or general. A U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday that there were credible threats against bases in the U.K., without saying who was behind them.
CBS News Confirmed found public flight-tracking data showing 10 tankers left Mildenhall. One landed at Glasgow Prestwick in Scotland, four went to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, one to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and four to Morón Air Base in southern Spain. Three Osprey aircraft also moved from Mildenhall to RAF Lakenheath, though it is unclear whether that was linked.
The Air Force said aircraft routinely rotate between locations for training and operational reasons and declined to give details. European Command said it could not discuss "specific force protection measures" but that it was working with British authorities.
The tanker move comes just over a month after the Air Force pulled its long-range bombers out of RAF Fairford, another English base used for strikes on Iran, following a security incident there. Five British men were arrested near the base on Sept. 27 on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses and later released on bail. Two men were later charged with security-related offenses, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications that Iran played a part."
