'They’ll Be Hit Very Hard' If Linked to Flydubai Plane Attack: Trump’s Warning to Iran

Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump cautioned that Iran faces severe repercussions if Tehran turns out to be linked to an onboard assault on a Flydubai passenger aircraft, noting that intelligence pointing towards a potential Iranian connection remains under active review.

Addressing journalists before he departed from the White House, bound for Texas, Trump faced questions regarding whether intelligence briefings suggested the co-pilot involved in the Flydubai emergency had ties to Iran. “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 stated.

When asked if the individual could have been stationed on the aircraft via Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or radicalised through alternative means, Trump remarked, “It could have been, yeah.” While highlighting that the situation remains under scrutiny, Trump offered no definitive proof connecting Tehran to the event.

Later in the briefing, when directly questioned on whether Washington would launch a military response against Tehran should evidence implicate them, Trump answered, “Oh, they'll be hit very hard. Don't worry. You just ask them. They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard.”

The US leader subsequently expanded his assessment to cover Iran's financial status, military readiness 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.

Furthermore, the President asserted that petroleum shipments routed by the United States through the Strait of Hormuz have surpassed pre-conflict volumes. “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 noted.

Commending the armed forces, Trump indicated he faces an impending determination regarding Tehran's subsequent actions. “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 stated.

Reaffirming a prior stance, Trump emphasised that Tehran will be barred from acquiring atomic capabilities. “They cannot have nuclear weapons and they won't have, and they're agreeing not to have,” he said. Addressing queries concerning the domestic political fallout of the conflict with Iran, Trump conceded potential implications for upcoming midterm contests, though he contended that barring Tehran from nuclear arms would prove advantageous. “Well, it's possible. I don't -- it should help because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump observed.

The Flydubai event centred on a Dubai-originating service destined for Israel, which diverted towards Saudi territory after the co-pilot allegedly set upon the Indian captain and attempted to down the aircraft. The captain successfully unlocked the cockpit door, enabling travellers and crew to subdue the attacker and secure a safe landing. Multiple nations are currently pursuing inquiries, though public records showed no verified proof of Iranian complicity as of Thursday.

The episode unfolds against a backdrop of heightened bilateral strain following the recent conflict and renewed American pressure targeting Iran's atomic development. Thursday's remarks brought sharp cautions from the White House, though officials stopped short of attributing formal responsibility to Tehran for the cockpit incident. 

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