WANA (Jun 09) – Out of approximately one million of the world’s top internet domains, nearly 200,000—accounting for roughly 20 percent—have been sanctioned by the United States, blocking access for Iranian users.

 

While Washington frequently advocates for “free internet for all,” particularly regarding Iran, critics point out a stark contradiction in practice.

 

The U.S. government has sanctioned a vast portion of widely used services and digital tools for Iranian creators and tech professionals. Conversely, access remains unrestricted for specific platforms that play a major role in shaping public opinion.

 

A domain serves as the unique address or name through which users access a website or online platform. According to recent data, this digital blockade tightens even further when looking at the internet’s most critical infrastructure: out of the top 100,000 domains vital for digital product development, 30 percent are blocked. This means nearly one-third of essential global tech infrastructure is completely inaccessible to Iranian users.

 

Key Creative and Tech Tools Restricted

The sweeping restrictions heavily impact everyday digital operations, cutting off access to premier global tools used for design, content creation, and technology development. Among the major blocked platforms are:

  • Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Figma
  • Midjourney
  • Canva

 

AI and Software Development Hit Hard

The tech freeze extends deeply into the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and software engineering. Due to ongoing U.S. sanctions, Iranian developers face severe restrictions when trying to access cloud infrastructure, repositories, and services from major tech conglomerates. High-profile blocks include:

  • Oracle
  • GitLab
  • Google Gemini

 

Experts note that these platforms represent only a fraction of an extensive, growing list of digital services and developer tools currently blacklisted for users inside Iran, stifling the country’s independent tech sector.