Trump Cites Possible Iran Link in Flydubai Attack
US President says Tehran’s involvement is under investigation and warns of a “very hard” response if confirmed.
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Friday has threatened Iran with a “very hard” response if Tehran is found to have been behind the flydubai attack aboard a passenger jet bound for Israel, while acknowledged that the suspected Iranian connection is still being investigated.
Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed during the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight before passengers and crew subdued the Omani co-pilot and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Trump’s comments push the Iran theory into the open even though no evidence publicly established Tehran’s involvement has emerged.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said it is too early to determine whether Iran was connected to the incident.
Trump spoke at the White House was asked whether he had been briefed on a possible link between Iran and the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain.
“We’re working on it right now. They’re being very open with us. Uh, I would say the answer based on what I’m hearing is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said.
Asked whether Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could have placed the co-pilot aboard the aircraft, or whether he may have been radicalised through another route, Trump replied: “It could have been, yeah.”
Trump was then asked whether the US would retaliate if investigators found that Iran was behind the attack.
“Oh, they’ll be hit very hard. Don’t worry. You just ask them. They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard,” he said.
He did not provide evidence linking Tehran to the attack.
His remarks came as authorities continued investigating the actions of the Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and attempting to crash flydubai flight FZ1073 while it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Machchhar, despite being injured, managed to unlock the cockpit door.
Passengers and crew then intervened and subdued the co-pilot. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landed safely.
Netanyahu said that investigators had found that the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.
He also said the man appeared to have been suicidal during the incident.
Netanyahu stopped short of linking the alleged attack to Tehran.
He said it remained too early to determine whether Iran was involved.
Michal Maayan, spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said investigators were examining the suspected ideological motive, whether there were accomplices and whether the incident had been planned in advance.
“However everything is still open and closely examined,” Maayan said.
Trump also used the exchange to step up his broader rhetoric against Iran, spoke about its economy, military capabilities and the Strait of Hormuz.
He said he now faced a decision over what comes next with Tehran.
“Now I have to make a decision. They’ll either sign a very fair deal, or they won’t exist any longer,” Trump said.
He also reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
“They cannot have nuclear weapons, and they won’t have, and they’re agreeing not to have,” he said.
The flydubai investigation continues as Washington and Tehran remain locked in heightened tensions.
Trump has publicly raised the possibility of Iranian involvement in the aircraft attack without saying that investigators have reached a definitive finding.
