US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Qatari foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani about Iran and other issues of mutual interest.

During the Monday phone call, Blinken thanked his counterpart for “Qatar’s constructive role in efforts to resolve issues with Iran” as well as its diplomatic assistance with Afghanistan.

The two also discussed the United States’ strong and growing partnership with Qatar, including opportunities for greater cooperation on regional issues.

Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, visited Tehran last week and held meetings with President Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministerial summit in Berlin on Sunday, Blinken also held a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, and French Director General for Political and Security Affairs Philippe Errera to discuss the ongoing negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

Talks in Vienna since April 2021 had reached a critical stage by mid-March, when diplomats announced a pause and returned to their capitals.

A major disagreement reportedly remains the US listing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a ‘foreign terrorist organization’ while Iran has also refused to drop calls for retribution for the US killing IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.