Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has left his home in the Washington area and is now living on a military base after threats against his life linked to Iran, according to people familiar with the move. Word of the relocation surfaced late Tuesday.

It is not clear how serious the specific threats against Bessent are. But the move shows how worried security officials have become as the conflict with Tehran grinds on.

Bessent is the public face of the economic squeeze on Iran. Since August he has run a sanctions effort called Operation Economic Outcast that targets banks and money firms helping Iran move cash. The goal is to pressure Tehran to stop attacking ships and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been mostly shut since the United States and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28. A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has been in place since April.

Treasury says he will not back down

A Treasury spokesperson said the secretary will not be scared off by the threats. The department said he is still committed to the sanctions campaign and the blockade, which it says are crushing Iran's economy.

Concerns about his safety reportedly grew after a newspaper published an aerial photo of the Georgetown mansion he bought for $12.5 million soon after he was confirmed in January 2025. That image made it possible to pinpoint the house.

A wider pattern

Bessent is not the first senior official to move behind base gates. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and new White House chief of staff Stephen Miller have also left their homes for military housing or other protected quarters.

Last month national intelligence chief Jay Clayton warned in a memo that Iran had sharply stepped up efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, including current and former U.S. officials. People briefed on the matter say some of that plotting has reached an advanced stage, though officials also note that Iran's ability to carry out large attacks on U.S. soil is limited. Iran has denied planning attacks on American officials.

The threats come as talks to end the war pick up speed. Rubio said Tuesday he saw no need to restart major combat because the financial pressure is working. In recent weeks the military has also pulled some aircraft from two bases in Britain and the State Department ordered nonessential embassy staff out of Saudi Arabia.