Trump warns Iran of severe consequences if linked to Flydubai incident
Trump says Iran could be responsible for the Flydubai-to-Tel Aviv episode and promises a strong US response.
On October 2, 2026, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would face severe consequences if it is found to have been involved in the recent incident aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv.
Trump links Iran to the incident and promises a strong response
Speaking with reporters in Washington, Trump said: "They will be hit very hard, don't worry." When asked directly whether Iran had a connection to the case, he added: "I would say that the answer is, from what I've heard, yes. But we're working on it right now."
The remarks came after authorities in the United Arab Emirates opened an investigation into whether the episode was a possible terrorist attack, and after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspected copilot had been exposed to "radical Islamist indoctrination."
Israeli officials say the Flydubai passenger jet, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, nearly avoided a terrorist attack when it abruptly lost altitude on Wednesday; Flightradar24 recorded a descent of roughly 5,000 metres in about one minute. The aircraft carried 174 passengers, most of them Israeli citizens.
According to Israeli statements, the copilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the plane; eyewitnesses said several passengers from the forward rows managed to enter the cockpit and restrain the copilot. United Arab Emirates and Saudi investigators have started reconstructing the sequence of events, and Riyadh said the copilot was transferred to the UAE on Thursday accompanied by a "UAE security team." Initial inquiries by Saudi authorities indicated the copilot attacked the captain.
US media reports say Washington has recently sent additional Patriot missile stocks to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to protect key energy facilities from potential Iranian strikes. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its crew are reported to be heading to the region and may be joined by two other US carrier strike groups already deployed there.
Photo: arhiva
