Published 2 October 2026, 07:36 GMT
Last updated 1 minute ago
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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 during a trip to Tel Aviv, adding that he "likely believes this hypothesis."
Trump said that the Iranians "will take a very strong blow," in response to a journalist's question about whether the United States would respond if Tehran was proven responsible.
In a field development, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said on Friday that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz towards its exit, causing a small fire to break out and a power outage on board.
The authority added that the fire was extinguished, and no injuries or environmental damage were reported.
Two days after the Flydubai plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis, according to the media, the attacker’s motives are still unclear.
According to the passengers' account, the co-pilot stabbed the captain with the aim of shooting down the plane, which descended five thousand meters in one minute. However, despite his injury, the captain was able to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter the cabin and control the attacker.
The results of the ongoing investigations have not yet appeared, but Israel denounced what it called an “attempted jihadist terrorist attack” aimed at undermining relations between Israel and the Emirates. The Israeli airline “El Al” announced the cancellation of flights scheduled for Friday to return Israelis from Dubai, after “Fly Dubai” suspended its flights to and from Tel Aviv following the thwarting of the attack, while the Ministry of Transport clarified that Israel has not yet obtained the required approval from the United Arab Emirates to operate the flights.
During a chat with reporters at the White House, Trump said he believes Iran is involved in the operation, explaining, “I say the answer is yes, based on what I hear, but we are working on this matter at this very moment.”
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On Friday, UAE Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash praised the courage of the Flydubai pilot, Smit Machar, who was attacked by his co-pilot during the flight.
Gargash wrote in a post on the “X” platform that the Indian pilot deserves “all appreciation. In the face of a dangerous terrorist act and a potential disaster, he embodied the meaning of courage and responsibility. His professionalism and moral sense in the darkest circumstances make him a true hero.”
He added, "Apart from easily reducing what happened or adopting and promoting conspiracy theories, vigilance and precaution remain necessary in the face of the dangers of extremism and terrorism."
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A "possible" intensification of attacks after the midterm elections
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The region has witnessed relative calm in recent weeks, as the United States has not launched any strikes on Iran since September 1, despite repeatedly targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. However, diplomatic efforts to end the war are faltering more than seven months after its outbreak with the first American and Israeli strikes on Iran.
In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump spoke of a “possible” intensification of attacks against Iran after the midterm elections scheduled for early November.
Several media outlets reported that the Pentagon decided to send to the region an aircraft carrier and other ships that departed in recent days and are expected to arrive at the end of November, representing reinforcements numbering between nine thousand and ten thousand military personnel, including two thousand Marines.
The United States currently deploys two aircraft carriers in the Middle East, and it is not clear whether the number will increase to three or whether one of the two currently existing ships will be replaced.
Axios reported, based on official American sources, that the United States recently sent two additional batteries of the Patriot anti-missile system to protect oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that an emergency meeting of the strategic defense political committee emanating from the agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be held next week to discuss the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The three countries signed the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” in August, weeks before the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi group launched attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Sanctions on Iran's automobile and railway sectors
The US Treasury Department said that Washington imposed sanctions on Thursday on the Iranian railway and automobile sectors, along with foreign suppliers to these sectors, in the latest US effort to isolate Tehran economically.
The sanctions come as part of the “economic exclusion” process announced by the ministry on August 24 with the aim of depriving Tehran of financial resources used to finance the war, the missile industry, cyber attacks, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
This move expands the scope of US economic pressure on Iran from sea to land, targeting sectors that Tehran has relied on since the naval blockade led to the halt of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. But one analyst said expanding the scope of sanctions risks imposing huge costs on Iranian citizens.
The United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, forcing Tehran to increase reliance on the railway and automobile sectors to transport oil, fertilizers, chemicals, and other goods.
In the aviation sector, the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office announced on Friday that Iranian airlines, with the exception of Mahan Air, are allowed to operate 40 flights daily to and from Najaf International Airport, following the suspension of flights due to US sanctions.
Tehran criticizes Paris's handling of student protests
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the French authorities’ handling of student protests, and its spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, called on Paris to respect basic rights and freedoms, according to what the BBC Media Monitoring Unit reported from the ministry’s channel on Telegram.
Baghaei accused the French authorities of double standards, saying that they criticized Tehran's handling of internal protests, while taking measures that he described as extremely harsh in confronting the protests in France. He described those targeted by the Iranian authorities' campaigns as "armed and trained terrorists."
Baqai referred to reports of the arrest of about two thousand protesters in France, and called for an investigation into allegations of violence committed by security forces against demonstrators. He also stressed the need for protesters to refrain from violence, damaging property, and attacking law enforcement officers.
France is witnessing unrest linked to protests by high school students against poor educational conditions and other demands, amid the disruption of studies in hundreds of schools, according to the French Ministry of Education.
Iran, in turn, faces widespread accusations of committing gross human rights violations during protests in the country. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, "Hrana", which is based outside Iran, government forces killed more than 6,500 demonstrators during the protests last January. The Iranian authorities acknowledged the killing of 3,117 people, and held those they described as “trained terrorists” linked abroad responsible for most of the deaths.
A preacher in Tehran praises the American withdrawal from Iraq
A member of the Quds Force was killed in southeastern Iran
The Legion accused those it described as "terrorists" of planting the device, without specifying who it holds responsible, or revealing the identity of the dead person and the exact location of the attack.
