A federal jury has found a Pakistani man guilty of participating in an Iranian-orchestrated assassination conspiracy aimed at former President Donald Trump and other high-ranking American officials, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Asif Merchant was found guilty Friday of attempting to orchestrate killings on American soil as payback for the U.S. drone strike that eliminated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani during Trump’s presidency in 2020.
The assassination scheme, which unfolded in 2024, also set its sights on then-President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, federal prosecutors revealed.
Justice Department officials stated that Merchant was found guilty of “murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries,” all under direction from Iranian government operatives.
The Brooklyn federal court proceedings began just last week, coinciding with Trump’s recent military operations against Iran conducted alongside Israeli forces, which have escalated into one of the region’s most significant conflicts in recent years.
During testimony, Merchant acknowledged his involvement with Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, though he claimed his participation was coerced to safeguard his family members living in Tehran.
Merchant testified that while he was never given explicit orders to eliminate any particular individual, his Iranian contact mentioned three specific targets during meetings held in Iran’s capital city.
Federal authorities successfully disrupted the assassination plot before any violence could occur. The scheme unraveled when someone Merchant approached for assistance in April 2024 contacted law enforcement and agreed to work as an undercover informant, the Justice Department reported. Merchant was subsequently taken into custody and entered a not guilty plea.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps wields significant influence throughout the country, combining military capabilities with economic control and extensive intelligence operations. Iranian officials have consistently rejected allegations of targeting Trump or other American leaders.
Recent military strikes by U.S. and Israeli forces have resulted in at least 1,332 Iranian civilian casualties with thousands more injured, according to Iran’s United Nations representative. The attacks have claimed the lives of several top Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
American military officials report that six U.S. service members died in an attack on a Kuwaiti facility, while Israeli authorities count at least 10 civilian deaths within Israel’s borders.
