Pakistani Man on Trial Claims Iran Coerced Him into Plot to Kill Trump and Biden

Pakistani national Asif Merchant is on trial in the US for allegedly plotting to assassinate Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley in 2024. Merchant testified that Iranian intelligence operatives, specifically a handler linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, coerced him into the plot by threatening his family. He claimed to have initially assisted in money laundering before being ordered to carry out the assassination and obtain documents. Prosecutors dispute his coercion claims, citing lack of evidence. Merchant pleaded not guilty to terrorism and murder-for-hire charges.