Washington, May 20 (RHC)-- U.S. President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Iran on Sunday, in which he threatened to wipe the Persian Gulf country off the face of the earth.

Trump said in a tweet: "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again."

Trump, who has reintroduced sanctions against Iran, has long criticized the government of the Islamic Republic, even going as far as threatening military action in the Persian Gulf.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been on the rise as the United States has deployed a carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf over what it termed Iranian 'threats.' This account has been met with widespread skepticism outside the United States.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton was one of the first American officials to speak about these so-called 'threats' from Iran. Bolton alleged that Iran was preparing to attack U.S. forces inside the Middle East.

At the same time, the U.S. deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf to "send a message" to Iran and prevent any potential attacks.

Iran has maintained that they have no plans to attack the U.S. forces in the Middle East, nor do they want war. Observers say that despite Tehran's reassurances that they are not seeking to escalate the conflict concocted by the war-hawks in Washington, the U.S. has still continued their mass military buildup in the Persian Gulf region.