A Pakistani man on Friday was convicted of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump and other political figures in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
A federal jury convicted Asif Merchant of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.
Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley said she was also among those targeted in his assassination plot. In 2024, according to Haley, the FBI informed her that the Iranian regime put a hit on her life.
Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador during Trump's first term, warned of the threats posed by Iran.
Haley’s statement comes amid the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran. Former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of Operation Epic Fury, prompting Iran to respond with retaliatory attacks.
Officials have warned of further attacks targeting U.S. citizens abroad, as well as possible attacks on U.S. soil by Iranian agents on behalf of the regime, although no such credible threats have been publicly announced since the war erupted.
According to federal prosecutors, Merchant was a trained operative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Iranian intelligence agent admitted at trial that the IRGC sent him to the United States to arrange political assassinations. Merchant arrived in the United States in April of 2024. A few months later, he met with purported assassins who were actually undercover U.S. law enforcement officers in New York.
Law enforcement, however, foiled the plot before any attack could be carried out, according to the Department of Justice. He was arrested in July 2024.
Merchant faces up to life in prison.