GROK | JULY 12, 2024 & NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Iran has not carried out a successful assassination of Donald Trump, but U.S. authorities have publicly detailed multiple foiled or disrupted plots linked to the Iranian regime (primarily via its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC) in 2024, motivated by revenge for Trump’s 2020 drone strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Iranian officials have publicly vowed retaliation since 2020, and Tehran has denied all involvement in these specific plots.

Key Alleged Plots in 2024
U.S. intelligence received reporting on an active Iranian threat against then-candidate Trump in the weeks before the July 13, 2024, Butler, PA, rally shooting (by Thomas Crooks, unrelated to Iran). This prompted the Secret Service to increase Trump’s security detail. A second unrelated attempt occurred in September 2024 at Trump’s Florida golf course (by Ryan Routh).Two separate Iran-linked operational plots were charged:

  1. Farhad Shakeri / IRGC Direct Plot (charged November 8, 2024)
    • Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old Afghan national and admitted IRGC asset (formerly lived in the U.S., deported after a 1990s robbery conviction), was charged in Manhattan federal court with murder-for-hire and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
    • According to the criminal complaint and his own statements to the FBI (during voluntary interviews while he was in Tehran):
      • In September 2024, an IRGC official directly tasked him with surveilling and assassinating Trump (referred to as “Victim-4” in charging documents). 
      • On October 7, 2024, the IRGC ordered him to deliver a concrete assassination plan within one week. If not feasible, pause until after the November 5 election (Iran reportedly assumed Trump would lose and would then be “easier” to target). 
      • When Shakeri raised cost concerns, the IRGC official said “money’s not an issue,” implying prior heavy spending on anti-Trump efforts.
    • Shakeri also used his U.S. prison network to recruit criminal associates for other IRGC tasks (e.g., surveilling/killing an Iranian-American dissident like Masih Alinejad and Jewish Americans in New York). Two U.S. recruits (Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt in NYC) were arrested in connection with the dissident plot; Shakeri remains at large in Iran.
    • U.S. officials (AG Merrick Garland, FBI Director Chris Wray, SDNY U.S. Attorney Damian Williams) described this as part of Iran’s broader campaign of transnational repression and assassination plots on U.S. soil.
  2. Asif Merchant Plot (arrested July 12, 2024; trial ongoing in 2026)
    • Asif Merchant, a 47-year-old Pakistani national who entered the U.S. in April 2024 (after time in Iran), was charged with murder-for-hire and attempted terrorism.
    • Prosecutors allege he was directed by Iran-linked handlers to hire hitmen for U.S. political figures. He met undercover FBI agents posing as assassins, paid them $5,000 upfront, and in a recorded June 2024 meeting used a napkin + vape pen to diagram the plan: shoot the target at a rally, then stage a protest as a distraction for escape.
    • He researched Trump rally locations and had photos of Trump (and Biden) on his laptop. He described the target as “someone hurting Pakistan and the Muslim world.” Prosecutors believe Trump was a likely intended target given the timing and context.
    • Merchant was arrested in New York while trying to leave the country. He has pleaded not guilty; his defense claims coercion by Iran to protect family. Trial in Brooklyn federal court began in late February 2026 and remains underway as of March 2026.

2026 DevelopmentsIn early 2026, amid U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran (which reportedly included the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on March 4, 2026, that the U.S. had “hunted down and killed” the unnamed leader of the specific IRGC unit behind the 2024 assassination plotting against Trump. Hegseth stated: “Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh.” Trump has referenced the plots personally, saying he instructed aides on overwhelming retaliation (“obliterate” Iran) if they succeeded, and later tied the strikes to “I got him before he got me.”

These plots never advanced beyond planning, recruitment, or surveillance stages and were disrupted by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence. No direct operational link has been established to the two 2024 shooting incidents involving Trump. Iran continues to deny directing any assassinations against Trump or U.S. officials. The cases remain active in U.S. courts where applicable, and the broader threat from Iran has been cited by the Trump administration as justification for heightened actions.

Here are the key primary sources and reliable reports supporting the details from the summary on Iran’s alleged assassination plots against Donald Trump (primarily via the IRGC in 2024):

Farhad Shakeri / IRGC Direct Plot (Charged November 8, 2024)

Iran has denied the allegations as baseless.Asif Merchant Plot (Arrested July 12, 2024; Trial Ongoing in 2026)

  • U.S. federal charges (indicted July 2024, trial in Brooklyn federal court began late February 2026): Merchant (Pakistani national with alleged Iran ties) accused of murder-for-hire and attempted terrorism, including recruiting hitmen via undercover FBI agents, diagramming a rally shooting on a napkin, and researching Trump rally locations/photos of Trump/Biden.
  • Recent trial coverage (as of early March 2026):

Merchant has pleaded not guilty, claiming coercion.2026 Developments (U.S./Israeli Strikes and Hegseth Statements)

These plots were disrupted before execution, with no direct link to the actual 2024 shooting attempts on Trump (Butler, PA, and Florida golf course incidents). All information draws from official U.S. government announcements, court documents, and contemporaneous reporting from major outlets. Iran has consistently denied orchestrating any such plots.

Last Updated on March 5, 2026 by Real KBrett