TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Iran will not acquiesce to U.S. bullying and will in no way respond to the language of force, pressure, and threat, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 18, 2026. (File photo: Xinhua)

In an address to reporters at the end of the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in Kyrgyzstan, Araghchi stressed that Iran neither fears threats nor accepts pressure.

"We do not tolerate the language of threat," he said.

Araghchi emphasized Iran's commitment to protecting its people and interests in the Strait of Hormuz as a principled policy.

Araghchi said he held sideline talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, whose country mediates talks between Iran and the United States, and discussed ongoing initiatives and proposals.

He said he also met with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding, under which the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement. However, the talks' fate is hanging in the balance due to the renewed tit-for-tat attacks between them.