Donald Trump is weighing the possibility of launching further strikes against Iran as the Pentagon prepares to deploy roughly 10,000 additional troops aboard a naval force heading to the Middle East.

The deployment, which includes a third aircraft carrier, highlights the rapidly shifting nature of Trump’s conflict with Iran. The president is considering his next steps as the US midterm elections approach and indications emerge that the war may be taking on a more complicated dimension.

The ships traveling toward the Middle East carry more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines in total.

The force includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which recently set sail with the cruiser USS Chosin. It also features the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, made up of the amphibious landing ships USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage.

A US official said the move could place three aircraft carriers in the region by the end of October. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the military operations remain sensitive.

Combined with forces already stationed in the Middle East, the deployment would raise the American naval presence to more than 20,000 sailors and Marines, supported by hundreds of aircraft.

The US Navy last had three carrier strike groups operating in the Middle East in April, marking the first such deployment since 2003.

The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington are currently in the region, alongside the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group.

Additional US strikes on Iran remain possible, particularly after Trump said Thursday that preliminary indications pointed to an Iranian connection to the FlyDubai co-pilot accused of stabbing his captain and attempting to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.

“We’re working on it right now and being very open with us,” Trump said.

Asked whether the co-pilot had ties to Iran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Trump replied: “I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes. But we’re working on it right now.”

Trump warned that the United States would punish Iran if investigators confirmed that the co-pilot had links to the regime or that Tehran had supported the attack.

“They’ll be hit very hard,” he said, issuing a five-word warning. “Don’t worry.”

Trump reiterated that Washington would retaliate if a connection between the suspect and Iran were established.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Fox News interview Thursday that investigators believed the FlyDubai suspect had undergone “Islamist, radical indoctrination,” though he offered no additional details.

“Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry,” Trump said. “You just ask them. They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”

The USS George Washington is normally assigned to the Pacific Ocean, but it was shifted to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln after that carrier’s crew spent more than 260 consecutive days at sea during an arduous deployment.

Trump, in a Time magazine interview published Thursday, also raised the prospects of new strikes, saying it is ‘possible’ that he will ramp up bombing in Iran after the November 3 elections in the United States.

When pressed, Trump said he could not go into further detail about his strategy.

‘I can´t tell you that because look, you know, you´re asking, where are you going to bomb?’ Trump said.

He said in the interview, conducted Monday, that he rejected the latest ceasefire proposal from Iran because ‘things that I wouldn´t have approved a year ago I wouldn’t have today.’

Trump cited as an example an offer from Iran to ‘open up’ the Strait of Hormuz, the key energy shipping corridor, but said the overall proposal was ‘not good enough.’

Asked if the increasingly unpopular war would threaten Republican Party chances in November, Trump at first responded, ‘It´s possible.’ 

But then he added, ‘It should help, because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.’ 

The president said ‘100 percent of the people’ oppose Iran having nuclear attack capabilities ‘including worldwide.’

‘So, when you say it that way, it would help,’ Trump added. ‘If you don´t say that, it could hurt.’

Yet, there’s also growing concern that Tehran might be turning to asymmetrical tactics following the FlyDubai attack and another suspicious incident in the UK.

Authorities believe that Iran might be looking to shift strategy just as the US finds greater success in loosening Iran´s grip over the Strait of Hormuz and getting Gulf allies’ oil to market, while a Navy blockade is shutting down Iran´s own oil exports.

British authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a US-run military air base in England that British authorities have linked to Tehran.

The arrest of the 27-year-old man in Central London came after UK authorities arrested five men, all British nationals in their 20s and from London, in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terror offenses close to the RAF Fairford air base

The base has been used by American bombers to strike Iran. The suspects have since been released on bail.

The flight plunged more than 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds during the incident as it flew over Saudi Arabia on the journey from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

Despite the scare, all passengers remained safe during the incident. 

However, both the co-pilot and captain were hospitalized, according to Tabuk airport officials. The flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after passengers subdued the co-pilot. 

Trump praised Boeing and its CEO Kelly Ortberg in a social media post Thursday morning for the design of the 737 MAX and its ability to withstand extreme conditions as it rapidly descended before stabilizing. 

A much-loved Sydney restaurant is preparing to close after 22 years, bringing an end to a North Shore dining institution for generations of locals.

Martha’s, the European restaurant first established in Castlecrag before relocating to nearby Northbridge, will welcome its final customers on Sunday, October 4, after the business was sold.

Marek and Arthur opened Martha’s in 2004 and spent the following two decades making it a fixture of the local restaurant scene.

For many regulars, Martha’s became far more than a place to have dinner. Its tables hosted birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and family milestones, while diners returned year after year for its familiar European food and warm, easygoing hospitality.

‘After 22 wonderful years, the time has come for us to say farewell to Martha’s,’ Marek and Arthur said in announcing the closure.

‘We opened our doors in September 2004, and since then Martha’s has become so much more to us than simply a restaurant.

‘Over the years, we have had the privilege of sharing countless lunches, dinners, celebrations, birthdays, weddings and special occasions with so many wonderful people.’

The announcement comes after several difficult years for Australia’s hospitality industry, making the loss of another established venue especially poignant for local diners.

In Sydney and other major cities, diners have watched neighbourhood favourites, ambitious newcomers and acclaimed restaurants disappear as the cost of running a venue has continued to rise.

Restaurants are facing higher expenses for ingredients, wages, utilities and rent, while many customers are also dealing with mounting financial pressure at home.

The result is a difficult balancing act: diners still expect restaurants to remain affordable and welcoming, but operators have less capacity to absorb the growing cost of serving each meal.

However, Marek and Arthur have not attributed their decision to those industry pressures. After 22 years at the helm, they said they were ready for a change of pace.

‘Thank you for being part of Martha’s story’

The Northbridge premises will not remain vacant once Martha’s closes.

The owners said the business had been sold, with the new owner planning to open a different venue under a new name.

‘While this marks the end of Martha’s, it is also the beginning of a new chapter for the restaurant,’ Marek and Arthur said.

‘We’re going to take a well-earned break, enjoy having a little more time to ourselves, and see where life takes us next.’

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The farewell prompted an affectionate response from the local community, reflecting Martha’s lasting place in the North Shore dining scene after more than two decades.

A North Shore community page described its departure as a ‘farewell to yet another North Shore favourite’ and the ‘end of an era’.

One longtime customer remembered the restaurant as a ‘great little familiar place’ in Castlecrag and said it retained the same ‘friendly service and relaxed enjoyable atmosphere’ after moving to Northbridge.

‘Enjoy the change of lifestyle and time to smell the roses,’ they added.

Why losing a local restaurant feels different

Martha’s longevity makes its departure poignant at a time when Australia’s restaurant landscape is changing quickly.

The restaurants that survive for decades often occupy a different place in their neighbourhoods to the buzzy openings that dominate social media.

That loyalty is valuable in an industry where Australians have become more selective about how often they eat out and where they spend their money.

A difficult few years for an industry built around discretionary spending, and a steady stream of farewells, have reminded Australians of the importance of supporting places they would miss once they’re gone.

For Martha’s customers, that moment has now arrived.

Marek and Arthur said the friendships formed over 22 years were ultimately what they would take with them.

‘Your friendship, loyalty and support over the past 22 years have meant more to us than we can possibly express,’ they said.

‘To everyone who has walked through our doors, celebrated with us, recommended us to friends, returned year after year, or simply stopped by for a meal – thank you for being part of Martha’s story.

‘We will leave with so many wonderful memories and enormous gratitude for the people who made Martha’s what it has been.’

After its final service on Sunday, the restaurant will change hands and eventually take on a new identity.

But for the North Shore diners who have spent 22 years celebrating life’s milestones at Martha’s, replacing the name above the door won’t quite replace the restaurant they knew.

Two employees of an Oxford smoke shop are facing federal drug charges after investigators seized more than 500 units of synthetic kratom. The search followed the deaths of two University of Mississippi students and a separate suspected overdose in the area.

Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were found dead on September 21 after police received separate calls reporting that each man was unresponsive and possibly suffering from an overdose.

At both locations, investigators recovered pills they believed could contain kratom or synthetic kratom.

The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Department said Thursday that Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, had been charged federally with possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Both men worked at Puffs Vape Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford, near the university campus.

Oxford police searched the store after receiving reports that illegal substances were allegedly being sold there. Officers said they found kratom products, THC cartridges and other suspected narcotics during the search.

‘Today’s federal court proceedings represent another step in an investigation that remains active and ongoing. Law enforcement has not stopped working this case,’ the narcotics department said.

‘Investigators continue to review evidence and pursue additional information, and additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation develops.’

Hamilton, a freshman from Colorado, was found inside Stewart Hall on campus. Emergency crews performed CPR, but he could not be saved.

Strang, a junior from Georgia, was found at an off-campus residence on Van Buren Avenue.

A criminal affidavit obtained by ABC News said Hamilton’s bank records showed that he made several purchases at Puffs Vape Tobacco and Beer, including one on the day he died.

Three days after the students were found, a police informant went undercover and reported buying pills described as being kratom-based from the store.

‘The clerk told the informant to be careful taking the pills, because people were dying from them,’ the affidavit read.

Narcotics officers searched the business later that day and seized alleged kratom products valued at $1,799, according to the affidavit.

Forensic testing later confirmed that some of the seized pills contained kratom, the document stated.

Investigators also alleged that Strang bought pills containing kratom at a nearby gas station, Express Mart #7.

According to the affidavit, those purchases were made on September 9 and 11. Officers bought similar pills and submitted them to a forensic laboratory for testing. No employees of Express Mart have been arrested.

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Toxicology reports on the two students are ongoing. An official cause or manner of death has yet to be released. 

Also on Thursday, Oxford Police announced another suspected overdose of a 22-year-old on Sweetgum Lane, which is about five miles from the university. 

The individual was not a student, and police do not believe the incident is related to the university. 

Authorities responded around 5am and found the individual unresponsive. Emergency responders revived him on the scene and rushed him to the hospital. Police said he is expected to survive. 

Officers learned that the individual also possessed synthetic kratom products, although they were not believed to have been purchased in Oxford. 

‘The Oxford Police Department is once again warning the public about the serious and potentially deadly dangers associated with synthetic kratom products,’ police said. 

‘Synthetic and manufactured kratom products can contain powerful and unpredictable substances.’ 

The department added that the recent incident is not connected to the ongoing investigation into the two students’ deaths. 

Kratom is derived from a Southeast Asian tree and can produce stimulant-like effects at lower doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. It is sometimes marketed for energy, pain relief or managing opioid withdrawal.

‘To take kratom is really rolling the dice on death,’ Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill told Fox News after the campus tragedy. 

‘That sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth. And so our challenge right now is to make our young people understand the dangers of these drugs.’

Tannehill said Oxford officials had been concerned about kratom for years and moved to restrict its sale locally in 2019 after the city’s police chief raised the alarm.

The mayor said authorities were continuing to hunt for people willing to illegally supply potentially dangerous substances to young people.

‘We are always trying to find the bad actors in our community that are choosing to sell these things to kids,’ she said.

The mayor added that the loss of the two students deeply impacted the community, and her heart broke for their loved ones.