Qatar urges US, Iran to resume talks after flare-up

Mediator Qatar on Tuesday urged the United States and Iran to return to negotiations after they renewed tit-for-tat attacks.

On Sunday, the US carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran quickly retaliating by attacking US military targets in the Middle East.

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran disrupting traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz with its blockade and the US persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

"We have said from day one that leaving the issue unresolved and trying to normalise the closure of the Strait would lead to escalation," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a regular press briefing.

"This is precisely what we have witnessed over the past two days," he said.

"We urge the parties to exercise wisdom and return to the negotiating path, and we continue to intensify our efforts with our mediation partners to ensure a return to that path."

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would "immediately" reciprocate if the United States returned to a June deal aimed at ending their war.

"In Qatar, in the region, in the world today, we cannot afford to accept the status quo," Al Ansari said.

"Discussions with our mediation partners -- whether in Pakistan or Oman -- are ongoing," he added.

Last week, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani travelled to Tehran as part of the mediation efforts, after Iran and Oman, which border the key strait, said they were discussing a temporary shipping corridor and the clearance of mines.