Washington, 28 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump has said that "another" US military fleet is on its way to Iran.

"By the way, there's another beautiful armada floating beautifully toward Iran right now. So, we'll see," Trump said on Tuesday in a speech in the US state of Iowa.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the accompanying warships that had already arrived in the Middle East on Monday, or to other US military forces.

Meanwhile, the responsible regional command of the US military, CENTCOM, announced a multi-day air force exercise in the Middle East.

Trump recently refused to rule out military intervention by the US in Iran following a violent crackdown on protests which, according to rights groups and witnesses, resulted in thousands of deaths.

With regard to the leadership in Tehran, Trump said in Iowa: "I hope they make a deal."

He had previously told the US news portal Axios that Iran was interested in a diplomatic solution to the tensions with the US. The situation with Iran is "in flux" because the US has sent a large fleet to the region, Trump told Axios in an interview.

MIA file photo