Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, met the country's head of armed forces unified command, Ali Abdollahi, and provided him with new guidelines on war as tensions persist with the United States in the Strait of Hormuz.

Ali Abdollahi, who commands the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, was provided with "new guiding measures to pursue Œmilitary operations and firmly confront adversaries," according to Farsh news agency, Iran's semi-state news agency.

According to the report, Abdollahi met the Supreme Leader and briefed him on the readiness of the country's armed forces to deal with any adversary.

However, the report did not mention when their meeting took place. "The armed forces are ready to confront any action by the American-Zionist (Israeli) enemies. In case of any error by the enemy, Iran's response will be swift, severe, and decisive," Abdollahi was reported as saying.

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The blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which US President Donald Trump imposed after the first round of Islamabad peace talks failed, has emerged as a new flashpoint between Washington and Tehran in the conflict that saw fierce war and stalemate since February 28.

While the ceasefire remains in place despite no consensus on a final peace, sporadic incidents of attacks on ships and territories of the Gulf countries, especially the UAE, continue to ignite tensions.

Earlier in the day, the Qatari Defence Ministry said that a cargo vessel was attacked by a drone in Qatari waters northeast of Mesaieed port as the ship travelled from Abu Dhabi, causing a limited fire that was contained.

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The statement by Qatar's Defence Ministry did not specify the origin of the drone. Hours later, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held a conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

During the talk, Al-Thani stressed the need for all parties to respond to mediation. He also told Araghchi that freedom of navigation should not be compromised and that the Strait of Hormuz should not be used as a pressure tool. He added that doing so will only deepen the crisis in the Middle East.