In a shocking U.S. court disclosure, a Pakistani national revealed that Iranian operatives had recruited him to target President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden. The accused testified that he was forced to comply after threats were made against his family. His testimony has sent ripples through both legal and intelligence communities.
The accused, identified as 47-year-old Asif Merchant, appeared before a federal judge in Brooklyn. He told the court that he had “no other option” after his family was threatened by Iranian agents. Merchant said he was instructed to travel to the United States and carry out the assassination plot to protect his loved ones.
According to court filings, Merchant had previously paid $5,000 to two undercover FBI agents in connection with the plot. A former banker, Merchant had suffered significant financial losses in his banana trading business, leaving him vulnerable to manipulation by his Iranian handler in April 2024. The handler allegedly gave him three potential targets: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley, who had withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race a month earlier.
Merchant’s Iranian handler has been identified as Mehrdad Yousef, reportedly a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Merchant told the court that Yousef pressured his relatives in Iran and even visited his home without prior notice, displaying a weapon during their meeting. These pressures, he said, forced him into agreeing to the plot.
FBI surveillance reportedly recorded Merchant in June 2024 at a budget hotel in Queens, planning to assassinate a Republican leader. Subsequent investigations confirmed the intended target was Donald Trump. Merchant was arrested in August 2024 on charges of terrorism and contract killing. Authorities continue to investigate the full scope of the conspiracy and the involvement of Iranian operatives.