Nikki Haley Says She Was Among the Targets of an Iran-Linked Assassination Plot on American Soil

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of plotting to assassinate her on American soil, pointing to a case in which a Pakistani businessman was convicted of attempting to hire killers to murder American political figures.

“Just a few months ago someone was arrested and put in prison because he paid an informant to have me killed,” Haley said in remarks circulated Tuesday, November 10.

She accused the Iranian government of financing the scheme and warned that American political leaders remained at risk.

“They are targeting Americans on American soil. They have tried to get Trump multiple times,” she said.

The case involved Asif Merchant, a Pakistani businessman arrested in July 2024 and convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn on March 6, 2026, of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of international terrorism.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, Merchant admitted that an IRGC operative had directed him to arrange political assassinations in the United States.

During his trial, Merchant identified Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley as possible targets discussed by his Iranian handler. He said he understood Trump to be the intended target, although he had not received definitive instructions identifying the victim.

Merchant paid $5,000 to two men he believed were hired assassins. Both were undercover American law enforcement officers, and the plot was disrupted before anyone was attacked.

The former businessman testified that he had acted under pressure because he feared for relatives living in Iran. Prosecutors rejected his explanation, and the jury found him guilty.

Iran has denied involvement in plots to assassinate American officials.

Haley's warning revives a case that has become central to Washington's accusations of Iranian operations against U.S. political figures. However, investigators have not established that Iran was responsible for the two separate assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.