At the briefings, the officials emphasised the US's commitment to implementing its obligations under the joint plan of action (JPOA) agreed between the P5+1 in Geneva in on 24 November 2013 and clarified the US position on the temporary and limited relaxation of its sanctions against Iran.

The overall message is that the US will continue vigorously to enforce its sanctions legislation and stands equally ready to progress towards the further relaxation of sanctions against Iran or to pass more restrictive measures, as appropriate depending on Iran's compliance with its commitments under the JPOA.

Key points

The headline points highlighted at the briefings were:

- The temporary relaxations of US sanctions legislation expire on 20 July 2014 unless extended.

- If no extension is announced by 20 June 2014, then extension is unlikely, and harsher new sanctions may be introduced instead.