Scott Bessent confirms relocating from Washington home to military base amid Iranian threats

Detailed summary

Bessent said the threats show that Washington's economic pressure campaign against Tehran, dubbed 'Operation Economic Outcast', is taking a toll. | World News

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that he relocated from his Washington residence to a military base on Secret Service instructions following Iranian death threats, delivering a blunt rebuke to Tehran's leadership and criticising The Wall Street Journal for publishing a geolocatable image of his home.

Speaking during an interview on CNBC, Bessent said the threats against him and fellow cabinet members show that Washington's economic pressure campaign against Tehran, dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast", is taking a toll.

"You know what I gotta say, is F the Iranian leadership. I'm not gonna be cowered that they have initiated death threats against me, other members of the cabinet. We're not gonna be cowered, and it means what we are doing with Operation Economic Outcast is working," Bessent told CNBC.

Drawing comparisons to the risks faced by American troops stationed in the Persian Gulf and President Donald Trump, Bessent described Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as increasingly desperate under mounting financial isolation.

"And, you know, why am I gonna be afraid when our brave military personnel in the Gulf, President Trump constantly receives death threats? And, you know, what we are doing is working, and the IRGC, they're like a dangerous cornered animal," he said.

While confirming his move to a military installation, Bessent also accused The Wall Street Journal of endangering his safety by publishing a photograph of his Georgetown property shortly after he purchased it, despite appeals from his team not to disclose its location.

"So, I follow the Secret Service instructions and have moved from my home to a military base. And I do wanna say that one of the reasons I've had to move is because the Wall Street Journal printed a photo of my house the day I bought it, that has geolocation on it. And in a highly irresponsible way, the editor—we pleaded with her not to print the location of my house, but she did anyway.

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