Qatar is officially returning its ambassador to Iran

Late on Wednesday Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially announced that it will be returning its ambassador to Tehran, reported The New Arab. 

In a statement on their website, the country's Ministry of Foreign affairs said: "Qatar announced that its ambassador to Tehran will return to resume his diplomatic duties."

"The State of Qatar expressed its aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields," the statement also read. 

The ministry also announced that Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. 

The two "discussed bilateral relations and means of boosting and developing them."

The latest move is an attempt to strengthen relations with Iran and comes over a year after Qatar severed ties with the country in 2016, following a diplomatic row between Iran and Gulf states.

In the past few months, the relations between the two countries improved after Iran sent essential supplies to Qatar during the early stages of the Saudi-led blockade on Doha. 

Cutting ties with Iran was a key demand put on Qatar by blockading countries, who handed the Gulf state a list of 13 demands (later reduced to 6), in order to end the dispute. 

The list was handed to Qatari officials via Kuwait - which is acting as a mediator.

Before going on to officially reject the original list of demands, the country's foreign minister,  Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said the list "is made to be rejected."

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar in early June, accusing the emirate of supporting and funding terrorism.