President Donald Trump said Thursday that information reaching the United States indicates that the Omani co-pilot accused of trying to bring down Flydubai Flight FZ1073 may have ties to Iran, warning that Tehran would face a severe response if investigators establish that it was involved in the attempted attack.

Trump’s comments represent the strongest public indication yet from Washington that investigators are examining a possible Iranian connection to the extraordinary midair attack aboard the Dubai-to-Israel flight, although authorities have not announced a definitive finding tying Tehran to the incident.

Asked directly whether the Omani co-pilot who allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to crash the aircraft was connected to Iran, Trump said, “I would say the answer based on what I’m hearing is yes, but we’re working on it now.”

When Trump was then asked whether the United States would retaliate if evidence ultimately showed that Iran was responsible, the president issued an unequivocal warning: “They’ll be hit very hard. Don’t worry about it, you just ask them.

Trump went on to portray Iran as badly weakened economically and militarily following months of confrontation with the United States and its allies.

Trump added: “Iran now has 301% inflation, their money is valueless, their economy is gone, they have no military, they have no anti-aircraft, they have very little going, and we control the Strait (of Hormuz). We took out more oil in the past two days than any time in the history of this strait.”

The president’s remarks came as an international investigation intensified into what unfolded aboard FZ1073, a Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

The co-pilot, an Omani national whose name has not been publicly released, allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit, stabbing him before attempting to send the aircraft into a catastrophic dive. Flight-tracking data showed the plane plunging more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the crisis.

Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to intervene. The alleged attacker was overpowered and restrained, while reserve crew members aboard the aircraft helped regain control of the plane.

The aircraft subsequently diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The co-pilot was taken into custody, while Machchhar was hospitalized and reported to be in stable condition. Israeli and Indian officials have hailed the captain’s actions as instrumental in preventing what could have been a mass-casualty disaster.

The United Arab Emirates has opened a formal investigation into the incident, including whether the attack was connected to terrorist activity or involved advance planning. Saudi authorities are also participating in the investigation, while Israeli intelligence agencies are examining the attacker’s background and possible connections.

Israeli officials have said preliminary information indicates that the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radicalization and intended to bring down the aircraft. Reports have also raised questions over how an Omani national was cleared to serve as a pilot on a flight bound for Israel, given that Oman does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

A fellow Flydubai pilot reportedly described the co-pilot as a relatively new employee who had displayed unusually intense religious behavior, including praying frequently and refusing to shake hands with women. Those accounts are among the pieces of information investigators are examining as they attempt to reconstruct the attacker’s background and determine whether he acted independently or had outside assistance.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, speaking earlier in an interview with Fox News, said investigators were specifically examining whether others were involved and whether the attack could ultimately lead back to Iran.

“We will get to the bottom of this. We will investigate whether the pilot had accomplices and whether Iran was behind him. I think we will know very soon,” Netanyahu said.

At the same time, no conclusive evidence publicly establishing Iranian direction of the attack has yet been released. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said earlier Thursday that it remained too early to determine whether Tehran was connected to the incident, while UAE authorities have said their investigation is continuing.

The emerging Iran question dramatically raises the stakes surrounding an incident that already came within seconds of becoming one of the deadliest aviation attacks involving Israelis in decades. What began as an investigation into the actions of a single co-pilot is now expanding into a broader inquiry into possible radicalization, security failures, accomplices and foreign involvement — with Trump making clear that confirmation of an Iranian role could bring serious consequences.