U.S. President Donald Trump dramatically escalated his rhetoric toward Tehran Thursday evening, saying information reaching him indicates Iran may have been involved in the suspected terror attack aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 — and issuing a direct threat of severe retaliation if the connection is established.
3+Asked whether Tehran was involved in the suspected attempt to bring down the Boeing aircraft carrying 174 passengers, most of them Israelis, Trump said: “I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes — but we’re looking at it and investigating it right now.”
Asked whether the United States would respond militarily if investigators establish official Iranian involvement, Trump issued a stark warning. “They’ll be hit very hard. Just ask them. They know what already happened. They’ll be hit very hard,” Trump said, appearing to reference the devastating blows Iran sustained during the recent war.
The president also directed his warning toward Iran-backed terrorist organizations across the region, including Hezbollah, making clear that Washington would not necessarily distinguish between Tehran and its proxies if they were found responsible. “The fate of the proxies is the fate of Iran — wherever Iran goes, its proxies go,” Trump said.
3+The remarks represent a significant escalation from Trump’s more cautious comments Wednesday, when he described the suspected attacker as potentially “a terrorist” or “a crazy person.” Trump’s sharper assessment comes as investigators in Israel and the Gulf increasingly examine whether the attack was an act of terrorism and whether the alleged attacker had connections to Iran or one of its regional proxies.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Thursday that Israel was investigating possible Iranian involvement and expected to reach conclusions “within days.” He said preliminary findings indicate that the Omani co-pilot had undergone a process of severe Islamist radicalization. The United Arab Emirates has also publicly acknowledged that its investigation is examining whether the incident involved terrorist activity, prior planning or direction.
3+Saudi investigators, meanwhile, are examining whether the incident began as a personal dispute that escalated or constituted a hostile act potentially connected to Iran or its Houthi proxies in Yemen. Trump again praised the passengers and crew members who prevented the incident from becoming a mass-casualty disaster after the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than half a minute.
He singled out Indian captain Smit Machchhar, who managed to open the cockpit door despite being stabbed and seriously wounded, as well as Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun and other passengers who rushed into the cockpit and subdued the alleged attacker.
3+The investigation has taken on increasing international significance as Israeli, Saudi, Emirati and American officials work to determine whether the attack was carried out by a lone radicalized individual or was planned or directed by a wider terrorist network. Trump’s latest remarks now place Iran squarely at the center of that investigation — while attaching an explicit warning of U.S. retaliation should Tehran’s involvement be established. “They’ll be hit very hard,” the president warned.