A Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, has claimed in a United States court that he was coerced by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into plotting the assassination of President Donald Trump.
Merchant, facing charges of terrorism and murder-for-hire, insisted during his trial that his involvement was not voluntary but driven by threats to his family in Tehran.
The Justice Department alleges that Merchant sought to recruit individuals in the US to execute the plot, targeting Trump and other prominent figures. This scheme, according to prosecutors, stemmed from retaliation for the US airstrike that killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Merchant’s defence paints a picture of duress, with him stating, “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”
Merchant testified that he had never received direct orders to target a specific individual. However, he recounted conversations in Tehran where his Iranian handler mentioned three names: Donald Trump, then-President Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador who vied unsuccessfully for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Prosecutors have dismissed Merchant’s coercion claims, arguing in a letter to the judge dated 2024 that there is “lack of evidentiary support for a true duress or coercion.” The trial, which began last week, unfolds amid heightened US-Iran tensions.
The IRGC, Iran’s elite force blending military might, economic influence, and intelligence operations, lies at the heart of this affair. Tehran has categorically denied any plot against US officials, labelling the accusations baseless.
The timing of Merchant’s trial is stark. It commenced just days before President Trump authorised joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top officials. Trump justified the operation in an ABC News interview, declaring, “I got him before he got me,” explicitly linking it to the alleged Iranian threat.
This case revives memories of Soleimani’s killing, which escalated US-Iran hostilities. Merchant, a Pakistani citizen with reported family ties in Iran, allegedly travelled to the US to scout potential operatives. Court documents detail payments and reconnaissance activities tied to the plot.
Legal experts note the challenges in proving duress under US law, which requires imminent threat and no reasonable escape. Merchant’s lawyers have not yet commented publicly, nor has the White House responded to enquiries.
Broader geopolitical ripples are evident. The US-Israeli strikes have intensified the Israel-Iran conflict, with live updates tracking developments from Tel Aviv to Tehran. Pakistan’s involvement, even peripherally through Merchant, raises questions about regional proxy networks.
Iran’s denial aligns with its pattern of rejecting assassination allegations. Yet, the IRGC’s global reach—through proxies and operatives—has long concerned Western intelligence. Merchant’s testimony, if corroborated, could expose vulnerabilities in counter-terrorism efforts.
The trial continues in a New York federal court, with jurors weighing Merchant’s claims against forensic evidence. Outcomes could influence US policy towards Iran amid ongoing Middle East volatility. As proceedings unfold, the world watches how this personal defence intersects with high-stakes diplomacy.
Agencies
