Qatar Says US and Iran are Holding Talks. Iran Denies This

Qatar's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran were "ongoing", despite US president Donald Trump saying talks had resumed and Tehran denying it was negotiating with Washington.

Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told reporters that negotiations focused on "a short-term resolution that would help us reignite the talks and go back to the mediation efforts in its totality", according to The Guardian. "Our focus right now is on lowering escalation, reopening the strait [of Hormuz], and reopening the door for diplomacy between the parties," he said.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that talks with Iran had resumed, saying: "This is the last chance for them to sign a good document." Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected the claim, saying: "We are not currently negotiating with the United States."

Baghaei said the only talks under way were discussions with Oman on reopening shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway, which carried a fifth of the world's oil and gas before the war, has been effectively shut since the conflict began in late February, and ships attempting to cross it have come under attack, The Guardian reported.

UK Maritime Trade Operations said overnight that a cargo ship near Oman in the strait was "hit by an unknown projectile" 20 nautical miles, or 23 miles, north-east of Al Khasab. Reuters later reported that the Liberia-flagged dry bulk ship Minoan Pioneer had been hit while sailing close to Oman's coast, though it was unclear whether that was the same incident.

British maritime risk management group Vanguard said a projectile reportedly struck the vessel's engine room and a fire broke out in the accommodation area, Reuters reported. "The crew are fighting the fire and require assistance, while the third engineer is reported missing," Vanguard said.