Trump threatens to hit Iran “very hard” if they were behind the Flydubai flight attack

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that it was likely Tehran was involved in a pilot attack on a Flydubai flight to Israel and that Iran would be "hit very hard" if that were the case.

The co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain before passengers managed to prevent the plane from crashing.

• TAMBIÉN LEE: Vuelo de Flydubai: un piloto atacó a otro y el avión cayó miles de metros; pasajeros irrumpen en la cabina. VIDEOS

The Israeli prime minister said the man had been subjected to "radical Islamist indoctrination."

"We are working on it right now," Trump said when reporters at the White House asked him if Iran was involved in the incident on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

When asked if the United States would retaliate against Iran if it were responsible for the attack, Trump replied: "Oh, they will be hit very hard, don't worry."

The U.S. leader's threat of retaliation came as he took a tougher tone on negotiations with Iran, which are currently stalled.

• TAMBIÉN LEE: “Nunca nos arrodillaremos”: Presidente de Irán responde a Trump desde la ONU

Trump told Time magazine that it was "possible" he could resume bombing Iran after the U.S. midterm legislative elections next month.

Republicans fear losing control of Congress in the November 3 elections, with Trump's approval ratings near historic lows due to the war with Iran and a rising cost of living driven by high oil prices.

"By annihilating Iran, we have created peace in the world. With Iran, I don't think you can ever have peace," warned Trump, according to statements reproduced by Time.

Iran maintains that it has control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz more than seven months after the initial U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Trump claims that his forces deployed in the strait have achieved a progressive increase in the passage of vessels carrying hydrocarbons.

The United States is preparing to send a third aircraft carrier and up to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East before the end of November, reported the Wall Street Journal.

It was not immediately clear if the new aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, would replace one of the two already in the region.

Trump had told his advisors that he hoped to resume bombings toward the end of November, as cited by the Journal.