Trump threatens to hit Iran 'very hard' if Tehran found to be behind FlyDubai incident

The Associated Press

· Posted: Oct 01, 2026 7:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that if Iran is linked to the co-pilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound flight, the Islamic Republic would be hit "very hard" over the attempt on the lives of more than 180 people aboard the jet.

Trump issued the warning as investigators worked to determine why the co-pilot stabbed the flight's captain, causing the FlyDubai plane to plummet before others on board stopped the attack and landed the airliner in Saudi Arabia.

The president was asked by reporters at the White House whether he had been briefed about any links between the co-pilot behind the attack and Tehran.

"We're working on it right now," Trump said. "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now."

Trump did not elaborate about why he suspects Iran might be involved.

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Asked if the U.S. would retaliate against Tehran if it was behind the attack, Trump said, "Oh they'll be hit, very hard, don't worry."

"You just ask them," he said. "They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard."

Stalled diplomacy

His remarks came as diplomatic efforts to end the war appear to have stalled.

Iranian officials indicated Wednesday that they had received an official U.S. response to Tehran's latest proposal to end the seven-month war, which Trump had publicly rejected just days earlier. The officials did not say what the response contained and whether it was a rejection.

• Trump rejects Iranian proposal to open Strait of Hormuz and end fighting

Trump said in a Time magazine interview published Thursday that he would not accept proposals from Iran that "he wouldn't have approved a year ago," and left open the possibility of resuming bombing after the Nov. 3 U.S. election.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has dispatched roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Thursday. That could mean three aircraft carriers will be in the region as soon as late October, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

Despite Trump's public rebuff, mediators have continued working with Iran and the U.S. to try to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.