Reuters - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday he did not believe a war would break out in the region as Tehran did not want a conflict and no country had the �illusion it could confront Iran�, the state news agency IRNA reported.

Tensions have escalated in recent days, with growing concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United States pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad following weekend attacks on four oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.

�There will be no war because neither we want a war, nor has anyone the idea or illusion that it can confront Iran in the region,� Zarif told IRNA before ending his visit to Beijing.

Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Alison Williams