Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has discussed efforts to de-escalate regional tensions with his Qatari counterpart, as Gulf diplomacy intensifies around the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

The two ministers spoke by telephone, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a post on X. "During the call, they discussed the latest developments in the region and ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions and enhance security and stability," the ministry said.

Prince Faisal spoke with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. It was the second reported phone call between the two ministers in the past week, a sign of how closely Riyadh and Doha are coordinating as the crisis deepens.

The call came a day after Sheikh Mohammed said mediation efforts between the United States and Iran were continuing in an attempt to prevent a further escalation. "We cannot wait to reach a perfect agreement; we hope to reach a good agreement," the Qatari prime minister said.

Qatar has been mediating indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, and its prime minister has repeatedly stressed the need for a deal that keeps the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping and brings the eight-month war to an end.

The conversation took place against a tense backdrop. On Sunday, Yemen's Houthis claimed an attack on the financial district of Riyadh, and Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said an administrative building belonging to the state oil company Aramco had been damaged by falling shrapnel, with no injuries or deaths reported. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences had intercepted two ballistic missiles fired towards the capital, as well as another missile aimed at the kingdom's Eastern Province.

Iran, meanwhile, said on Sunday that three oil tankers had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States announced a new task force to disrupt land routes into Iran. The waterway, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passed before the war, remains at the centre of the confrontation.

Riyadh and Doha have worked closely together throughout the crisis. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are both members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Qatar has said that Saudi security is an integral part of its own security and of the collective security of the Gulf states.

There was no detailed public account of what the two ministers agreed, beyond the shared emphasis on de-escalation. But the call itself, coming so soon after their previous conversation, underlines that Gulf capitals are pressing for diplomacy rather than a return to large-scale fighting, even as the military pressure on Iran continues to build.