The ambassador attempted to ______ diplomatic ties after the conflict and urged both nations to ______ their strategic objectives.

To determine the correct pair of words to fill in the blanks, let's analyze the context of the sentence:

"The ambassador attempted to ______ diplomatic ties after the conflict and urged both nations to ______ their strategic objectives."

1. First Blank: The sentence mentions "after the conflict." In a post-conflict scenario, an ambassador's goal is typically to restore or rebuild damaged relationships between nations. Therefore, we need a word that means to restore, bring back to life, or repair. Among the choices, revive fits this context perfectly. Words like dismantle, obscure, or dismiss would mean destroying, hiding, or ignoring ties, which is contrary to a diplomatic effort to resolve or move past a conflict.
2. Second Blank: The ambassador is urging "both nations" to do something with "their strategic objectives." To resolve conflict and establish stable diplomatic ties, nations need to coordinate, cooperate, or bring their objectives into agreement. The word align fits this meaning, indicating that they should bring their goals into agreement or cooperation. Other options like confuse, isolate, or exaggerate do not fit a constructive diplomatic effort.

Therefore, the pair "revive, align" fits grammatically and contextually.