WASHINGTON, D.C., United States — A Pakistani national accused of plotting to assassinate US politicians, including President Donald Trump, has told a US court that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pressured him into the scheme.
Asif Raza Merchant, 47, was charged in September 2024 with attempting to hire a hitman to target unnamed US political figures. He has pleaded not guilty.
During testimony on Wednesday, Merchant said he was coerced by Iranian operatives in Tehran to protect his family from the Guards.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” he told the court through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”
Merchant explained that he was never instructed to target a specific individual but recalled his Iranian contact referencing three potential targets: Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, and former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.
US authorities have described Merchant’s alleged plot as “straight out of the Iranian regime’s playbook,” noting his prior close ties to Iran. The Revolutionary Guards have previously attempted to target US officials, particularly following the 2020 US strike that killed IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani.
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According to reports, Merchant first engaged with an IRGC member around 2022, when he was asked if he was “interested in doing some work with the Iranian government.” The operation, as he described it, included organizing protests, stealing documents, laundering money, and potentially carrying out a murder.
Merchant said he agreed to cooperate due to fears for the safety of his wife and adopted daughter in Iran. He was arrested after attempting to hire hitmen who were, in fact, undercover FBI agents.
The trial unfolds amid ongoing US and Israeli military operations against Iran, including attacks that have resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
