diff --git a/swh/model/merkle.py b/swh/model/merkle.py
index 098c8723086b74ef397e5055123ef99910cbdf21..8934ad18e88266116ff85e7a2fb3ccf9c6452f0d 100644
--- a/swh/model/merkle.py
+++ b/swh/model/merkle.py
@@ -277,18 +277,20 @@ class MerkleNode(dict, metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
         for child in self.values():
             child.reset_collect()
 
-    def iter_tree(self) -> Iterator["MerkleNode"]:
-        """Yields all children nodes, recursively. Common nodes are
-        deduplicated.
+    def iter_tree(self, dedup=True) -> Iterator["MerkleNode"]:
+        """Yields all children nodes, recursively. Common nodes are deduplicated
+           by default (deduplication can be turned off setting the given argument
+           'dedup' to False).
         """
-        yield from self._iter_tree(set())
+        yield from self._iter_tree(set(), dedup)
 
-    def _iter_tree(self, seen: Set[bytes]) -> Iterator["MerkleNode"]:
+    def _iter_tree(self, seen: Set[bytes], dedup) -> Iterator["MerkleNode"]:
         if self.hash not in seen:
-            seen.add(self.hash)
+            if dedup:
+                seen.add(self.hash)
             yield self
             for child in self.values():
-                yield from child._iter_tree(seen=seen)
+                yield from child._iter_tree(seen=seen, dedup=dedup)
 
 
 class MerkleLeaf(MerkleNode):
diff --git a/swh/model/tests/test_merkle.py b/swh/model/tests/test_merkle.py
index 65992f45d0c9c69b155cfbb1dbf88cd589b278a7..32de872592dbee4df54a82da4302cb87a31e2611 100644
--- a/swh/model/tests/test_merkle.py
+++ b/swh/model/tests/test_merkle.py
@@ -172,10 +172,18 @@ class TestMerkleNode(unittest.TestCase):
         collected2 = self.root.collect()
         self.assertEqual(collected2, {})
 
-    def test_iter_tree(self):
+    def test_iter_tree_with_deduplication(self):
         nodes = list(self.root.iter_tree())
         self.assertCountEqual(nodes, self.nodes.values())
 
+    def test_iter_tree_without_deduplication(self):
+        # duplicate existing hash in merkle tree
+        self.root[b"d"] = MerkleTestNode({"value": b"root/c/c/c"})
+        nodes_dedup = list(self.root.iter_tree())
+        nodes = list(self.root.iter_tree(dedup=False))
+        assert nodes != nodes_dedup
+        assert len(nodes) == len(nodes_dedup) + 1
+
     def test_get(self):
         for key in (b"a", b"b", b"c"):
             self.assertEqual(self.root[key], self.nodes[b"root/" + key])