Accused Assassin Claims Iran Coerced Him into Plotting Trump's Murder

Asif Raza Merchant, a 47-year-old Pakistani man accused of conspiring to assassinate American politicians, including Donald Trump, has claimed in court that he was coerced by Iran's military body, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to participate in a murder-for-hire plot.

Merchant faces charges filed in September 2024, alleging that he attempted to hire a hitman to eliminate unspecified U.S. officials. He has denied all allegations against him. During his court testimony, Merchant expressed that he felt compelled to engage in the plot due to threats made against his family residing in Tehran by members of the Revolutionary Guard.

“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” he stated through an Urdu interpreter, as reported by The Washington Post. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”

Merchant indicated that he was not explicitly told to target any specific individual; however, he mentioned that his Iranian liaison had referenced three notable figures in relation to the suspected assassination plan: Trump, former U.S. president Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley, a previous U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

U.S. officials have previously accused the Revolutionary Guards of seeking to target American leaders in retaliation for the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

Merchant's trial is unfolding at a time of increased hostility between the United States and Iran, particularly as U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran continue, reportedly resulting in casualties, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Previously, U.S. authorities had reported that Merchant had “close ties to Iran,” characterizing the alleged assassination scheme as reflective of tactics associated with the Iranian government.

According to reports from The New York Times, Merchant disclosed to investigators that he began collaborating with a Revolutionary Guard member in 2022 after expressing interest in “doing some work with the Iranian government.”

Subsequently, he was allegedly instructed to arrange tasks that included managing protests, theft of documents, money laundering, and potentially facilitating an assassination. Merchant also shared concerns regarding the security of his wife and adopted daughter in Iran, leading him to acquiesce to participate out of fear for their safety.

Authorities stated that he was apprehended after allegedly trying to hire what he believed were hitmen, who turned out to be undercover agents from the FBI.