He is one of a number of senior figures in the Trump administration including the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the new chief of staff, Stephen Miller, to leave their home to live on a military base or protected housing.

The US national intelligence chief, Jay Clayton, said last month that Tehran had “substantially increased” its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond.

These include intensifying the targeting of current and former US officials such as Bessent, the NYT reported on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.