US President Donald Trump stated Thursday that Tehran was likely involved in an attack by the pilot of a flydubai flight to Israel and that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was responsible.
The co-pilot reportedly assaulted the captain before passengers managed to prevent the plane from crashing.
Israel’s Prime Minister said the man had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination.”
“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes. We’re working on it right now,” Trump said when asked by reporters at the White House whether Iran was involved in the incident on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Speaking about whether the United States would retaliate against Iran if it was responsible for the attack, Trump replied, “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry.”
Trump’s threat of retaliation came as he took a harsher tone on the stalled war with Iran overall.
Trump was quoted as saying in a Time magazine interview on Thursday that it was “possible” he may resume bombing Iran after U.S. midterm elections next month.
Republicans worry that they may lose control of Congress in the November 3 election, as Trump’s approval ratings approach record lows amid the Iran war and a rising cost of living driven by high oil prices.
He also repeated the threat to “annihilate” Iran, which he made in his speech to the UN General Assembly last week, despite previously portraying himself as the “president of peace.”
“Yeah, I would do that. It’s possible,” Trump told Time.
“Because by annihilating Iran, we’ve brought peace to the world. As for Iran, I don’t think peace could ever be achieved.”
More than seven months after the initial US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic, Iran continues to control the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says the war aims to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, the United States was expected to send a third US aircraft carrier and as many as 10,000 additional service members to the Middle East by the end of November, The Wall Street Journal reported.
It was not immediately known whether the new carrier, the US Theodore Roosevelt, would replace either of the two carriers already stationed in the region.
The Journal quoted Trump as telling aides that he expected bombing to resume by late November.
