U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Vesey has reportedly relocated from his home in Washington, D.C., to a military base due to assassination threats from Iran, according to The Hill on November 11.
Vesey had been living in a residence in Washington, D.C., purchased for $12.5 million. However, concerns for his safety increased after the Wall Street Journal published aerial photos of the mansion last January.
The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that U.S. officials concluded in recent weeks that Iran had developed plots against current and former American officials, which likely prompted Vesey's move.
Vesey has led economic sanctions against Iran during the Donald Trump administration. The Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Iran's aviation, oil, automotive, and railway industries in recent months, increasing pressure on the Iranian regime's financial resources. U.S. government officials told the NYT that Vesey has become a target for Iranian authorities due to his role.
A Treasury spokesperson stated, "Secretary Vesey will not succumb to threats from the Iranian regime and will maintain operations to collapse the Iranian economy through 'economic expulsion operations' and blockades." The Hill also reported that other key officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are residing at military bases. White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also moved to a military base late last year during his tenure as deputy chief of staff, according to the BBC.
The BBC noted that several former high-ranking U.S. officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, are potential targets for Iran. Notably, the security teams for Milley and Bolton were withdrawn shortly after the start of the Trump administration's second term.
In recent months, senior U.S. officials have expressed concerns that Iran is adjusting its tactics regarding the potential for attacks on Americans abroad, according to USA Today. On November 10, the U.S. Department of Justice charged three agents linked to Iran with plotting nearly 20 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe. They allegedly aimed to attack Jewish communities in the U.S. and the U.K. and plotted a terror attack at the Fairford Air Force Base in the U.K., where U.S. Air Force aircraft were stationed. As a result of this plot, U.S. Air Force aircraft stationed at Fairford were withdrawn.
Recent cyberattacks in Europe, which caused refrigerators in supermarkets in France and other countries to malfunction and spoil vast amounts of food, are also believed to be linked to Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. This attack involved hacking refrigerators in supermarkets to raise temperatures to 50 degrees, spoiling stored food. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated at a G7 meeting in Paris on November 9 that "this attack marks the first large-scale sabotage by Iran on our territory" and posed a significant threat to national interests and the safety of the French people. The refrigerator hacking resulted in losses of millions of dollars for companies in France, Finland, and the Netherlands.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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