A Pakistani national standing trial in the United States over an alleged assassination plot targeting American politicians has told the court that he was pressured by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to participate in the scheme.
The suspect, Asif Raza Merchant, 47, was charged in September 2024 for allegedly attempting to hire a hitman to assassinate U.S. political figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump. Merchant has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Testifying in court on Wednesday, Merchant claimed he was coerced into cooperating with Iranian operatives because his family in Tehran was under threat. According to reports from several U.S. media outlets, he said members of the IRGC pressured him to organise a murder-for-hire operation.
Merchant told the court that he feared harm would come to his relatives if he refused to comply with the demands.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” he said through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”
Although he admitted being involved in discussions about the plot, Merchant said he was never given direct instructions to kill a specific individual. However, he stated that his Iranian contact had mentioned three prominent American political figures during their conversations — Trump, former U.S. President Joe Biden, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
According to his testimony, Merchant began interacting with a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards around 2022 after being asked whether he was willing to undertake “work” for the Iranian government.
He said the tasks he was eventually asked to coordinate included organising protests, stealing sensitive documents, laundering money and potentially arranging an assassination.
U.S. authorities had earlier alleged that Merchant maintained close ties with Iran and described the alleged plan as consistent with tactics previously linked to the Iranian government.
The trial comes at a time of heightened tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran. Reports indicate that recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Investigations into the alleged assassination plot and its international connections are still ongoing.
Man Accused of Plot to Kill Trump Says Iran Pressured Him
