Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lashed out at Iran’s bloodthirsty regime on Friday – declaring “F the Iranian leaders” after death threats forced him to abandon his $12.5 million Georgetown mansion and move to a military base.
“I’m not going to be intimidated by the death threats that they’ve made against me,” Bessent said during a Friday appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” confirming that he moved under instructions from the Secret Service.
“The other members of the cabinet will not be intimidated either,” he added.
Bessent’s move was first announced Wednesday, after U.S. officials expressed concerns about Iranian threats against his life. The Treasury chief has become a central figure in President Trump’s campaign to financially cripple Tehran with drastic sanctions.
A senior intelligence officer warned in an unclassified memo last month that Iranian plots targeting American personnel and citizens had reached an advanced stage.
The severity of the specific threats against Bessent was not immediately clear, and Iran has previously denied planning attacks against U.S. officials or people on U.S. soil.
Bessent suggested the threats were evidence that Trump’s economic pressure campaign was putting Tehran on its heels.
“What we are doing is working,” he said, describing Iran as “a cornered dangerous animal.”
“Why will I be afraid when our brave military is in the Gulf and President Trump is constantly receiving death threats? he added.
The Treasury Secretary’s security concerns reportedly intensified after the Wall Street Journal published an aerial photograph of his Georgetown residence in January 2025, following the purchase of the property for $12.5 million.
Bessent blasted the newspaper in Friday’s interview, saying his team had asked its editor not to publish the image because it could reveal the exact location of his home.
He called the decision “extremely irresponsible and dangerous” and insisted “things like this must stop”.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the photograph helped geotag the property, contributing to growing security concerns around Bessent.
Bessent has led Trump’s economic pressure campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, since August.
These efforts have targeted financial institutions and other businesses accused of facilitating Iranian transactions, while the US naval blockade of Iranian ports has added to pressure on Tehran.
The administration is seeking to force Iran to end attacks on shipping and reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
A Treasury Department spokesperson previously told the Post that Bessent would not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats and remained committed to the campaign, which the department said was contributing to the collapse of the Iranian economy.
Despite growing warnings, U.S. officials have acknowledged that Iran’s ability to carry out large-scale attacks in the United States and other overseas territories is limited.
Bessent, meanwhile, has made it clear that he has no intention of backing down.
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