Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has reacted harshly to false claims and accusations levelled against the Islamic Republic regarding political assassination attempts on American soil, including former President Donald Trump, by hiring a Pakistani national, Asif Raza Merchant.
According to IRNA, the Iranian Mission said, in response to questions about anti-Iran claims linking the country with the Pakistani accused of political assassinations on American soil, said: “We have not received any reports on this matter from the US government. However, it is evident that the modus operandi in question contradicts the Iranian government’s policy of legally prosecuting the murderer of General Soleimani.”
Based on American media reports, the US Justice Department claims that 46-year-old Asif Merchant was suspected of collaborating with Iran to plot and assassinate political figures, including Trump.
The media quoted even an official who claimed that a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) showed that several current and former government officials across the political spectrum, including Trump were the targets of this plot.
The indictment in the case, according to the media, published on Tuesday prompted authorities to increase the security of Trump and several other officials.
On July 13, while delivering a speech at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump was evacuated off the stage by the security after a young man named Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at him multiple times, injuring his right ear.
Iran has, time and again, rejected attempts to implicate the country into the incident. The Foreign Ministry said it strongly rejects any involvement in the armed attack on Trump or "claims about Iran’s intention for such an action, considering such allegations to have malicious political motives and objective".
Soon after the incident, Iran’s UN mission in a statement, also rejected reports about Iran's role in the assassination attempt on Trump calling them “baseless and biased”.
"From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani," the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran said in a statement. "Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice."
Iran’s anti-terror icon General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike near Baghdad Airport upon a direct order from then President Trump. Iran says it is still determined to “prosecute Trump” for his role in ordering the killing of Soleimani in 2020.
On Tuesday, CNN TV also claimed that American intelligence officials had discovered a possible Iranian plan to kill Trump, contradicting its own report that earlier said it had nothing to do with the attempt to assassinate him by Thomas Matthew Crooks during the Pennsylvania rally. CNN had also reported that the information obtained from a human source led authorities to increase security around Trump in recent weeks.