The charges were part of a broader push by the Justice Department during former President Joe Biden's administration to crack down on transnational repression, or efforts by U.S. adversaries like Iran and China to silence dissidents on American soil.
The two-week trial could provide a window into alleged ties between Iran's government and criminal organizations prosecutors say it hires to do its "dirty work."
A representative of Iran's U.N. mission did not respond to a request for comment on the trial of Amirov and Omarov.
U.S. prosecutors in 2021 brought charges against four Iranian intelligence officers over the alleged kidnapping plot. They are at large, and Tehran has called the allegations baseless.
The alleged murder plot came to light in 2022, when Khalid Mehdiyev - an alleged co-conspirator of Amirov and Omarov - was arrested outside Alinejad's New York home with an AK-47 rifle.