TEHRAN: Mediator Pakistan insisted on Thursday (Jul 30) that negotiations between Iran and the United States were ongoing, even as Washington carried out a "heavy wave of strikes" on its foe in retaliation for fresh attacks targeting Jordan. The return to direct hostilities followed a brief pause in fighting meant to give talks a boost. "Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on (the) Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad. Previous talks between the two parties following an April truce stalled, with the ceasefire collapsing earlier this month and Iran again slamming shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for Middle Eastern oil and gas. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that two oil tankers attempting to transit the strait with US support turned back after one of them caught fire.