NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Tehran had no intension to go to war with U.S. 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 U.S. sanctions in November on Iran were illegal and “nothing new”.