According to the US Department of Justice, the plan also targeted then President Joe Biden and Republican leader Nikki Haley. Authorities said the plot was stopped before any attack could happen.

During the trial, Merchant admitted that he became involved in the plan with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, he told the court that he acted unwillingly and claimed he joined the plot only because he feared for the safety of his family living in Tehran.

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Prosecutors said Merchant tried to recruit people inside the United States to carry out attacks against American political leaders. The alleged plan was linked to Iran’s anger over the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani during Donald Trump’s first presidency.

According to investigators, Merchant reached out to a person in April 2024 and asked for help in carrying out the plan. That person later informed law enforcement authorities and secretly worked with them as a confidential informant.

Officials said the information from the informant helped them stop the alleged plot before it could move forward. Merchant was later arrested and charged in the case.

The trial took place in Brooklyn, New York, where prosecutors accused him of “murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries”.

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Merchant pleaded not guilty when he was first arrested in 2024. Iranian authorities have also rejected the accusations and denied any involvement in plans targeting American leaders.

The case attracted attention because it came at a time of rising tensions between the United States and Iran, especially after recent military developments in the region.