PAKISTANI Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi made a fresh bid on Sunday to restart negotiations between Iran and the United States during a visit to Tehran after the US military said that it had shot down two more Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz.

The heaviest fighting ended with a preliminary ceasefire on April 8, but the sides have not been able to agree on a permanent end to the conflict.

Mr Naqvi was in Tehran to deliver a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistani army head Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to the Iranian state-run Irna news agency.

There were no details on the contents of the message.

Mr Naqvi met his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni on Saturday night and held talks Sunday morning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to official Iranian media.

Pakistani authorities say that Islamabad, with support from regional countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, has been working to help resolve differences between the US and Iran and ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones towards Bahrain and Kuwait that were intercepted early on Saturday, Bahrain’s government said, after US forces had attacked surveillance facilities on Qeshm Island and near Sirik that Iran said were used to protect borders and “ensure the security of navigation in international waters.” Tehran branded the attack a ceasefire violation.

Later in the day, US Central Command said its forces had shot down two Iranian attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the Ali al-Salem air base, which hosts US forces in Kuwait, and the US navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Irna reported.

The US military said there were no reports of harm to its personnel.