US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Iran with a "very strong strike" if its involvement in the attack on the pilot of a Flydubai plane was confirmed mid-flight, adding that he believed this hypothesis was likely.
Trump also warned that the United States would respond if a connection to Iran was proven.
During his conversation with reporters at the White House, Trump raised the issue of this connection when a journalist asked him whether there were any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran. Trump added, without elaborating, "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is 'yes,' but we're working on it right now."
Trump said: "They will be hit very hard. Don't worry. You just have to ask them. They know what happened. They will be hit very hard."
Official: Transporting thousands of American soldiers to the Middle East
On the other hand, an American official reported today, Thursday (October 1, 2026), that the American army is transporting about 9,000 soldiers on board a group of ships to the Middle East. More than 7 thousand sailors and 2 thousand marines.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon will send an aircraft carrier and other ships to the region, as part of reinforcements numbering between nine thousand and ten thousand military personnel expected to arrive by the end of November.
Currently, the United States deploys two aircraft carriers in the Middle East, and it is not clear whether the number will increase to three, or will remain as it is by replacing one of the two ships.
That could mean three aircraft carriers are in the region as early as the end of October, said the US official, who spoke to The Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
Considering the personnel already in the Middle East, this move will raise the size of the US naval presence to an unusual level, including more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft.
Today, Thursday (October 1, 2026), the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran summoned the British ambassador against the backdrop of British accusations against Tehran of involvement in a terrorist plot related to an air base.
Iranian state radio reported that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi called on the government in London to issue a “correction.”
Ravanchi's aide denounced the "empty and ridiculous allegations" made by the British authorities against Iran, considering them "baseless and unpalatable allegations by British representatives" that Iran is linked to plans to sabotage the RAF Fairford air base, a base used by American forces to launch strikes on Iran.
The Iranian official pointed to "the international responsibility of the British government against the backdrop of numerous violative measures against the Iranian people, especially placing military bases and capabilities under the British authorities to prepare and implement the American-Zionist military aggression against Iran," according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The Iranian embassy in London had previously expressed its "categorical rejection and strong condemnation" of what it described as "malicious and baseless speculation" regarding Iran's connection to the case.
Arrests and “strong indicators” of Iranian involvement
Following the arrest of five men on suspicion of terrorist acts, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed on Wednesday to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that there were “strong indications” of Iranian involvement in the plan, which was suspected to have been targeting the air base, but he added that a complex police investigation into the matter was still ongoing.
Today, British police arrested a person holding dual British and Iranian citizenship, on suspicion of planning to carry out a terrorist attack. Police also searched two properties in the British capital.
Last Sunday, five men, all in their twenties and residents of London, were arrested in connection with the incident that occurred at RAF Fairford air base. They were later released on bail.
Counter-terrorism police said a second person, a 26-year-old British citizen, was also questioned. Police said they found a quantity of a highly flammable substance - gasoline - in three pickup trucks linked to the five suspects, but did not find any explosives. Vicky Evans, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said the investigation was “extremely complex, and our specialist teams are examining several lines of investigation.” She added: "As we have made clear, we are looking into all possible possibilities - including the possibility of the involvement of a foreign country."
Netanyahu: Israel warned Britain of an Iranian plan
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chimed in and said that he had warned Britain of an Iranian plan to attack the air base.
In an interview with the American Fox News channel, Netanyahu said, “We provided the British with intelligence information indicating that an attack would occur, and that it was an attack supported by Iran. Almost the next day, they imposed sanctions on us,” referring to Britain imposing sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
US President Donald Trump had previously spoken about the possibility of an Iranian role in the incident.
