Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 2: US President Donald Trump on Thursday warned that Iran would be hit “very hard” if Tehran is found to be behind an attack aboard a Flydubai passenger aircraft, while saying investigators were still examining a possible Iranian link. [1])
Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters before leaving the White House for Texas. Asked whether he had been briefed on a possible link between the Flydubai co-pilot and Iran, Trump said the matter was being investigated.
“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,” he said.
Asked whether the man could have been placed aboard the aircraft by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or radicalised in some other way, Trump replied, “It could have been, yeah.”
Trump did not provide evidence of an Iranian connection and stressed that the matter was still under examination. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said it was too early to establish whether the co-pilot had links to Iran, while stating that the man appeared to have undergone Islamist radicalisation.
Asked whether the United States would retaliate against Iran if Tehran was found to have been behind the incident, Trump said, “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 also broadened his remarks to Iran's economy, military capabilities and the Strait of Hormuz.
“Look, Iran now has got 301 per cent inflation. Their money is valueless. Their economy is gone. They have no military. They have no anti-aircraft computers. They have very little going, and we control the strait,” Trump said.
The President also claimed that the US was moving more oil through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war.
“We took out more oil in the last two days than at any time in the history of the Strait, and that includes before the war,” he said.
Praising the US military, Trump said he now faced a decision over Iran's next steps.
“I tell you what, you know what it is, our Navy is incredible. Our military is incredible, the job they've done. Now I have to make a decision. They'll either sign a very fair deal or they won't exist any longer,” he said.
Trump also reiterated that Iran would not be permitted to possess nuclear weapons.
“They cannot have nuclear weapons and they won't have, and they're agreeing not to have,” he said.
Asked separately about the political impact of the Iran war in the United States, Trump acknowledged that it could affect the midterm elections but said preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons should help him politically.
“Well, it's possible. I don't -- it should help because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
The Flydubai incident involved flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. The aircraft was diverted to Saudi Arabia after the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft. The plane plunged sharply before Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker. A reserve crew subsequently landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel are investigating the incident, including the co-pilot's motive and whether it amounted to a planned or terror-related attack. The UAE has also launched an investigation into whether the incident involved terrorist activity.
No publicly established evidence had confirmed Iranian involvement as of Thursday. Trump's remarks therefore represented a warning based on information he said he was receiving, rather than a statement that investigators had reached a definitive conclusion.
The episode comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the US continuing to exert pressure over Iran's nuclear programme.