On June 10, the U.S. Department of the Treasury lifted sanctions on three former officials of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and several Iranian energy companies. The United States called the move routine and denied any connection to ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program in Vienna, saying that the Treasury removed sanctions on the former officials because they no longer worked at blacklisted entities. Nonetheless, analysts view the action as a signal that the United States is capable of following through with the administrative process of removing sanctions. The Treasury first designated the former officials in 2013 for evading sanctions and designated the energy companies last year for their involvement in Iran's petrochemical industry, which the United States has targeted with sanctions.