Iran does not want war with US forces in the region – Rouhani

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani listens during a news conference on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Tehran had no intention to go to war with US forces in the Middle East, where Iran has been involved in proxy wars with U.S. ally Saudi Arabia for decades.


“We do not wish to go to war with American forces in the region,” Rouhani told a news conference.

He said Iran would remain in a multinational 2015 nuclear deal that Washington exited in May.

“As long as the deal serves our interests we will remain in the pact … Remaining members of the deal have taken very good steps forward but Iran has higher expectations,” he said, adding that expected US sanctions in November on Iran were illegal and “nothing new”.