Iranian Agent Who Tried To Assassinate Trump Found Guilty

A federal jury on Friday convicted an Iranian government operative who traveled to the United States to orchestrate the assassination of President Donald Trump and other American officials.

Jurors found Asif Merchant, whom authorities say worked for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), guilty of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, according to the press release. Prosecutors said Merchant entered the United States in April 2024 and began laying the groundwork for political assassinations before law enforcement dismantled the plot.

Merchant admitted during trial testimony that the IRGC sent him to the United States to recruit criminals capable of carrying out the killings and to steal sensitive materials. The plot came to light after an acquaintance in New York alerted authorities and agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the conviction shows the federal government’s commitment to stopping foreign-sponsored terrorism targeting the United States.

“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” Bondi said. “The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen.”

Merchant began working with the IRGC in Pakistan in late 2022 or early 2023, where he received training in espionage tradecraft and countersurveillance techniques, according to trial testimony and evidence presented to jurors, the Department of Justice said. He later traveled repeatedly to Iran to meet with a handler directing the operation.

In 2024, the IRGC tasked Merchant with returning to the United States to recruit members of organized crime groups to carry out multiple operations — including stealing documents, staging protests and assassinating one of three American political figures. Merchant contacted a New York acquaintance he believed could help arrange the scheme. Instead, the individual reported the plan to law enforcement and began cooperating as a confidential source.