Bessent Says He Won’t Be Cowed by Iranian Threats as Israel Warns of Drone Attacks on Its Leaders

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran’s death threats against him and other Trump administration officials will not stop the U.S. sanctions campaign against Tehran, as President Donald Trump warned Iran against harming any senior American official, and Israeli leaders said drones are now one of the biggest dangers to their own security.^[1][2][4]

Related: Bessent Moves to a Military Base After Iranian Threats.

What Bessent said

Bessent confirmed in a CNBC interview on Friday, Nov. 13, that he had moved from his Washington-area home to a military base on Secret Service instructions. He said Iran is trying to retaliate against him and other officials he did not name over Operation Economic Outcast, the administration’s war-related sanctions drive.^[1]

“I’m not going to be cowered that they have initiated death threats against me,” Bessent said. He said the threats show the sanctions are working and called the Revolutionary Guards a dangerous cornered animal.^[1]

A Treasury spokesperson said separately that Bessent would not be deterred, Newsweek reported, citing The New York Times. U.S. officials say Iran’s ability to carry out large-scale attacks in the United States remains limited, even as they take specific threats seriously.^[7]

Who else has moved

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller have also moved into military housing, news reports say, and Attorney General Todd Blanche has lived on a Washington-area installation for months, Fox News Digital reported.^[1] Not all of those moves were tied to Iran; Miller’s followed protests outside his home.^[7] Our earlier report covers officials living at Fort McNair.

Trump’s warning and the U.S. case

Asked by host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Nov. 12, what would happen if Iran killed a senior American official such as Bessent, Trump replied: “They will not exist very long any longer.” He did not give a timetable or a specific response.^[2]

On Nov. 10, the FBI put Shahram Poursafi, who was indicted in 2022 on charges of working for the Revolutionary Guards to arrange the killing of former National Security Adviser John Bolton, on its Most Wanted Terrorists list. Poursafi has not been convicted. Bolton told USA Today the designation shows how immediate the Iranian effort remains.^[1]

In October, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned in a declassified memo that Iranian plotting against U.S. citizens had reached advanced stages in the Middle East and other countries.^[1]

Iran’s threats

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Iran’s deputy armed forces chief, Keyoumars Heydari, told state television: “We are determined to kill Trump and Netanyahu as long as we live.” Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that U.S. bases in Europe could be targeted if they were used to attack Iran.^[3][5]

On Friday, Nov. 13, U.S. Central Command said it shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones headed for Bahrain, with no injuries or damage. The Revolutionary Guards claimed they destroyed a U.S. early-warning radar there, a claim the United States denied.^[2] Unverified claim, Revolutionary Guards statement (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards)

Israel’s drone warning

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a campaign event in mid-October that drones are, after nuclear weapons, the main threat to Israel, warning they could be used to strike radar sites, command centers and the country’s leaders. Haaretz published photographs indicating that anti-drone nets have been put up around his private homes.^[4]

Defense Minister Israel Katz last month banned drones controlled by fiber optics or SIM cards from Israeli airspace for six months. He cited concrete intelligence about drone attacks and attempts to harm senior officials.^[4] Security officials and experts told Haaretz that Israel is not yet prepared for a surprise drone-swarm attack launched from inside the country.^[4] The warning follows a U.S. decision last month to evacuate bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain over fear of an Iranian drone attack.^[4] See our report on charges in the Fairford plot.

What happens next

Israel’s security cabinet has ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran, Israeli media reported. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot urged caretaker Prime Minister Netanyahu not to use force without a direct and immediate threat.^[5] Israeli officials continue to lobby Washington for a new military campaign, a U.S. official said, The Jerusalem Post reported, while Trump has told advisers he may hold off if there are no new provocations.^[6]

Mossad chief Roman Gofman is in Washington for talks on Iran: read our report. Follow the war on our Iran War Tracker and in war news.

Sources

1. USA Today: Iran’s threats push Bessent, other Trump officials onto military bases
2. Gulf News: US-Iran war: Turkey, Qatar sign defence deal; Hormuz shipping down 65% (live blog)
3. Iran International: Iranian commanders threaten to kill Trump, strike US targets worldwide
4. Haaretz: Can Iran Attack Israel With Its Own Operation Spiderweb?
5. Al Jazeera: Iran warns of expanded retaliation as Israel reportedly readies to attack
6. The Jerusalem Post: Donald Trump weighs holding off on new Iran attacks despite Israeli lobbying
7. Newsweek: Third Trump Cabinet Member Moves to Military Base Amid Iran Threats: Report

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.