Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his Washington, D.C.-area home to a military base following what CBS News confirmed on Wednesday were a series of Iranian threats against his life. Bessent is among a series of current and former U.S. government officials identified as targets of Iranian assassination or kidnapping plots. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton stated in October that Iran has increased efforts to target American personnel abroad, with some plots reaching advanced stages.
The U.S. government has linked the increase in threats to the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, which was ordered by then-President Donald Trump. Federal prosecutors have since detailed several schemes involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian military. These plots have targeted officials associated with the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, as well as political leaders from both major U.S. parties.
In one case, Pakistani national Asif Merchant was convicted in March 2026 of terrorism and murder-for-hire. Merchant testified that his IRGC handler named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley. Separately, the Justice Department charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged IRGC asset believed to be in Tehran, for allegedly planning to kill Mr. Trump in late 2024. Other officials identified as targets include former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook.
For the individuals targeted, the impact includes a loss of privacy and freedom of movement. Secretary Bessent is now living on a military installation rather than in a private residence, and former officials like Mark Esper and Robert O’Brien reported requiring 24-hour taxpayer-funded security details after leaving their government posts. These security measures are adjusted based on current intelligence; the Trump administration revoked the details for Hook and Pompeo during its first week in January 2025.
The ongoing nature of these threats has influenced air travel protocols for high-ranking figures. During a summer summit in Turkey, Mr. Trump changed aircraft following intelligence warnings that Iran might target Air Force One with a surface-to-air missile. Law enforcement continues to track several suspects who remain at large, including Shahram Poursafi, who was added to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list during the week of this report. Future court dates for other indicted individuals have not been specified.