+++ News in the Middle East conflict +++: Trump threatens Iran with harsh consequences in the Flydubai incident

US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with serious consequences if it takes part in the alleged attack on a full Flydubai flight. “You will be hit very hard, don't worry,” Trump told reporters in Washington on Thursday when asked about possible US retaliation against the Islamic Republic if it was responsible for the attack. Asked whether Iran had anything to do with it, Trump said: "I would say the answer, from what I'm hearing, is yes. But we're working on it right now."

Trump made the comments after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched an investigation into a possible terrorist attack and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspected co-pilot had undergone "radical Islamist indoctrination." According to the Israeli government, the airliner Flydubai narrowly escaped a terrorist attack on Wednesday. The Flydubai plane was on its way from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it lost a lot of altitude. According to the website Flightradar24, the plane descended about 5,000 meters within a minute. There were 174 passengers on board, most of them Israelis.

According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the co-pilot stabbed the pilot and tried to bring the plane down. According to eyewitnesses, several passengers from the front rows of seats broke into the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot. Meanwhile, the US news portal Axios reported that the US recently sent additional Patriot missile stocks to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to protect important energy facilities from possible Iranian attacks.

The portal also reported that the aircraft carrier “USS Theodore Roosevelt” and its crew were on their way to the region, where they could join two other US aircraft carrier battle groups already on site. While speculation swirled about the co-pilot's possible motive, the UAE and Saudi Arabia began to reconstruct the incident. Saudi Arabia said the co-pilot was transferred to the Emirates on Thursday accompanied by a “security team from the UAE”. Riyadh added that initial investigations revealed that the co-pilot attacked the plane's captain. (afp)

According to the British military, a tanker was hit by an “unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker then caught fire, as the British Navy's Maritime Trade Authority (UKMTO) announced on Thursday. The authority says it was informed about the incident from elsewhere. The crew was safe, it said. The UKMTO initially did not release any information about the ship's name.

So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Iranian forces regularly attack ships passing through the strait to maintain control of the crucial waterway. Since the Iran war began on February 28, shipping traffic has been disrupted and the strait has been virtually closed. Before the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, about a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas was transported through the waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. (ap)

According to government information, the United States has lifted human rights conditions on military aid to Egypt totaling more than $300 million because of the war against Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suspended the corresponding requirements for $320 million in the 2025 fiscal year, it said in a letter to congressional committees that was seen by the Reuters news agency. The State Department in Washington announced on Thursday (local time) that it confirmed the move. There was initially no statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

An accompanying memorandum stated that the exception was essential for the national security interests of the USA. This is particularly true in view of Egypt's “helpful role” after the start of the joint military operation by the USA and Israel against Iran. What exactly this role consisted of was not explained. A ministry spokesman said the decision took into account the importance of security cooperation at a time of major regional challenges.

Egypt has received about $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid annually since the late 1980s. Part of it is linked to conditions on human rights and democracy. ⁠However, these may be suspended for national security reasons. In the past, the withholding of funds, including under former US President Joe Biden, had repeatedly led to tensions between Cairo ‌and Washington‌. Human rights organizations have long accused the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of widespread violations such as torture and enforced disappearances. Egypt played a central role in negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in October 2025. ‌However, the country has so far featured less in mediation in the Iran war. (rtr)