U.S. Sanctions Cut Off Iran From World of Warcraft

Iranian fans of World of Warcraft are on the warpath after U.S. sanctions reportedly shut down access to the popular online game in their country.

After Iranian gamers complained online about being unable to to access the service, an employee of Blizzard Entertainment posted the following message: “What we can tell you is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran. Several of you have seen and cited the text in the Terms of Use which relates to these government-imposed sanctions. This week, Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services.”

The U.S. Treasury Department told the L.A. Times that “The focus of our sanctions is not on video games” and that “we would consider a license request from Blizzard Entertainment should they choose to apply for one.”

The U.S. has pushed stronger sanctions against Iran as punishment for that country’s pursuit of nuclear technology, in violation of international law.