Bessent has spearheaded Operation Economic Outcast, President Donald J. Trump’s campaign to cripple Iran’s economy through sanctions, financial restrictions, and a naval blockade. However, the threats against Bessent are only the latest chapter in a campaign of Iranian intimidation and alleged assassination plotting stretching back more than six years.
Iran’s Campaign of Revenge Against Trump.
The origins of the threats can be traced to January 2020, when, during his first term, President Trump ordered the elimination of General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. Tehran then threatened retaliation against Trump and senior American officials.
In January 2022, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi demanded that Trump and other officials responsible for Soleimani’s death face trial, warning that revenge would follow otherwise. That same month, Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani warned that Iran could pursue Americans inside their own homes, potentially using individuals already present in the United States.
In August 2022, the Justice Department charged IRGC member Shahram Poursafi with attempting to arrange the assassination of former then-National Security Adviser John Bolton. Prosecutors alleged that Poursafi offered $300,000 to have Bolton murdered in Washington, D.C., or Maryland, apparently in retaliation for Soleimani’s killing.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook also faced serious threats, resulting in government-funded security arrangements after they left office, though these were later dropped in 2025 by President Trump.
Iranian Operatives Ordered to Kill Trump.
In November 2024, the Justice Department announced criminal charges against Farhad Shakeri, an alleged IRGC asset accused of coordinating assassination operations through a network of criminal associates. According to federal investigators, Shakeri disclosed that Iranian officials had instructed him on October 7, 2024, to produce a plan to assassinate Trump. The alleged network also targeted Iranian dissidents and Jewish Americans.
American intelligence officials also warned Trump’s security team about Iranian threats before the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, although investigators did not establish any Iranian involvement in that particular shooting.
Iran’s Shadow War Enters a New Phase.
The ongoing Iran war, which began in February, has intensified fears of retaliation against various American officials. An intelligence memorandum reported in late October warned that Iranian plots targeting American personnel and citizens had reached advanced stages.
On March 1, outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, Texas, Senegalese immigrant Ndiaga Diagne carried out a mass shooting while wearing a “Property of Allah” sweatshirt and an Iranian-flag undershirt, in what was suspected to be an Iran-directed or inspired terror attack.
Iran is also believed to be involved in a recent terror plot against Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in England, which resulted in U.S. bombers being evacuated from the site.
The Iranian government has denied plotting attacks on American soil, and not every intelligence warning has resulted in substantiated criminal charges. Bessent’s relocation shows that the administration is taking the threats seriously, as President Trump is actively considering new strikes on Iran.
