Qatar's prime minister to visit Iran amid Middle East crisis

Qatar's prime minister will visit Iran in the coming days, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.

"Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is scheduled to consult with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, on bilateral and important regional issues," Tasnim said.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, has acted as a mediator to secure a ceasefire to end a 10-month war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Qatar on Tuesday following a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to inject urgency into efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire deal, with an agreement remaining elusive so far.

Iran has vowed retaliation over the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind the killing.