U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he moved from his home to a military base after following Secret Service instructions, tying threats he described to Washington’s campaign to cut Iran off from global finance.
In a Nov. 13 excerpt from CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Bessent attributed death threats against himself and other Cabinet members to Iran’s leadership. He said the threats showed the U.S. economic pressure campaign was working. CNBC labels the published transcript unofficial.
Bessent also said The Wall Street Journal published a photo of his home that he believed could be geolocated, and that his team had asked the paper’s editor not to publish the location. The Associated Press reported Nov. 11, citing a person familiar with the matter, that media reports helping identify Bessent’s home address partly contributed to his move. EconoTimes previously reported on Bessent’s relocation and Treasury’s Iran campaign.
The Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast on Aug. 24, 2026, saying it aimed to sever Iran’s financial connections. The department announced sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels, and expanded secondary-sanctions exposure for Iran-related activity in five sectors. Treasury said countries would receive a timeline to halt identified Iran-related activity and warned that entities facilitating money laundering or sanctions evasion risked losing access to the U.S. financial system.
CBS News reported that a Treasury spokesperson said Bessent would continue the operation and maintain the blockade. The spokesperson characterized the measures as collapsing Iran’s economy.
