Trump Threatens Retaliation if Iran Linked to Flydubai Flight Incident

US President Donald Trump has threatened severe retaliation against Iran if Tehran is found to have been involved in an incident on a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The flight’s co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain before passengers intervened and prevented the aircraft from crashing, according to the supplied report. Trump said on Thursday that Iran was likely to have been involved, although he stressed that the matter was still being examined.

Asked at the White House whether Tehran was connected to the incident, Trump replied that the answer was probably yes, based on information he was receiving. He did not provide evidence for the assessment. When asked whether the United States would retaliate if Iran were responsible, Trump said Iran would be “hit very hard”.

Israel’s prime minister separately said the co-pilot had undergone what he described as Islamist radical indoctrination. Trump’s warning came as he adopted a tougher position on the wider conflict with Iran. In an interview published by Time magazine, he said it was possible he could resume bombing Iran after next month’s US midterm elections.

He also repeated a threat to “annihilate” Iran, arguing that previous action had created peace and that lasting peace with Iran was not possible. Trump has said the war is aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The report said Iran continued to control the strategic Strait of Hormuz more than seven months after initial US and Israeli attacks.

It also said the United States was expected to send a third aircraft carrier and as many as 10,000 additional service members to the Middle East by the end of November, though the status of the reported deployment was not clarified.