How Israel and the FBI manipulated assassination plots to goad Trump into Iran war

The article places Merchant’s prosecution in a broader pattern it describes as manipulation by US security agencies and Israel-aligned actors.

“The FBI manufactured plots to convince Trump that Iran sought to kill him, while Israel and its administration allies exploited the president’s deepest fears to keep him on the war path”

The Grayzone

It recounts a 2022 DOJ case charging Shahram Poursafi in a supposed plot to kill John Bolton, which the Grayzone says the FBI largely contrived.

The Grayzone

The article names FBI official Steven D’Antuono as a recurring figure in such operations.

The piece highlights tensions and apparent contradictions in the timeline, reporting authorities arrested Merchant "on July 12, 2024 — just one day before Crooks attempted to kill Trump in Butler," but later recounting DOJ claims that Merchant was arrested on June 12, 2024.

It explicitly notes that whether Israel provided tips to the FBI about Merchant "remains an open question."

The Grayzone contends that, after Butler, Israel-aligned actors and national security officials pushed narratives tying the attacks to Iran, citing an NBC report by Ken Dilanian.

It argues that this manufactured-threat environment helped overcome Trump’s earlier anti-interventionist instincts and keep him "on the warpath" against Iran.