Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, said that threats by the Islamic Republic against his successor will not intimidate him, and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is like a “dangerous animal” trapped in a corner.

Bessent, in an aggressive tone, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”: “Damn the leaders of the Islamic Republic, they have threatened to kill me, and we, and other members of the Cabinet, will not be intimidated.”

The U.S. Treasury Secretary, who has recently moved from his home in Washington to a military base, considered the threats against his life as a sign of the impact of the economic pressure operation “economic strangulation” on the Islamic Republic.

He said: “When our brave forces are present in the Persian Gulf, why should I be afraid?”