Confirming imminent discussions with the EU’s Joint Commission coordinator, a senior Iranian diplomat affirmed that “Iran is determined to engage in negotiations that would remove unlawful and cruel sanctions in a full and effective manner, secure normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran and provide credible guarantee for no further reneging”. “The question is if our partners are genuinely ready to fulfill their commitments”, he noted, adding: “the continuation of the failed maximum pressure policy definitely will not remove any obstacle… rather will add more to already existing negotiations’ complexities”. In related comments the day before, President Raisi had asserted that “we are committed to what we promised, but the U.S. and the Europeans are in a decision-making crisis”.