Iran will not wage war against any nation, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, a day after the United States announced the deployment of more troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington. 

Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, which Washington has blamed on Tehran. 

"Iran will not wage war against any nation," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. "Those facing us are a group of politicians with little experience." 

He added, "Despite all of the Americans' efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful." 

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes citing concerns about a threat from Iran.

Rouhani said the world "praises" Iran over its standoff with Washington, and that the U.S. had broken promises by abandoning a landmark nuclear deal that Tehran had continued to honor. 

"Today we are in a faceoff with America in which there is no one in the world that does not praise Iran," he said. "Iran has been loyal to its signature, Iran has been loyal to international agreements, and the one standing against us today is the one that has trampled all pacts, agreements and international accords." 

Iran is locked in a tense standoff with the U.S. after Washington withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sweeping sanctions, even as its allies said Tehran had abided by the agreement's terms. 

Rouhani announced on May 8 that Iran would stop observing some restrictions on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water agreed under the deal, a move he said was in retaliation for the unilateral U.S. withdrawal. 

Iran on Monday set a 10-day countdown for world powers to fulfil their commitments under the deal or else it will surpass its uranium stockpile limit. 

China on Tuesday warned against opening a "Pandora's box" in the Middle East after the U.S. announced the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the region amid escalating tensions with Iran. 

"We call on all parties to remain rational and restrained, not to take any actions to provoke the escalation of tension in the region, and not to open a Pandora's box," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing during a joint press conference with visiting Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Mualem.  

"In particular, the United States should change its practice of extreme pressure," Wang stressed. "Unilateralism has no basis under international law. Rather than resolving problems, it will create bigger crises." 

Meanwhile, he urged Iran to "make prudent decisions" and not "so easily abandon" the deal.  

Wang underscored China's "unwavering determination" to maintain the deal, noting that "complete and effective implementation" of the deal is the "only realistic and effective way" to resolve the Iran nuclear issue. 

Russia also called for restraint from all sides in the Middle East on Tuesday and said it did not want to see destabilizing moves in the region. 

(With inputs from Reuters, AFP) 

(Cover: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran, June 12, 2019. /VCG Photo)