US sanctions 2 firms, 2 individuals over Iranian internet censorship

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) — The US on Friday slapped sanctions on two companies and two individuals for their roles in facilitating Internet censorship by the Iran government.

The Treasury Department said Arvan Cloud, an Iran-based technology company, had close links to Iran's intelligence services and was a key partner in developing a countrywide intranet used to "disconnect" Iranians from the World Wide Web.

In a press release, it noted that the company's executives had extensive ties to senior Iranian government officials, as Arvan Cloud's co-founders and top executives Pouya Pirhosseinloo and Farhad Fatemi were also designated.

"Free and unrestricted access to information is a fundamental right of all peoples, including in Iran," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in the statement.

"The United States is committed to holding accountable those who seek to undermine freedom of expression and suppress dissent, and to call out regimes who deny their citizens this right," he added.

The sanctions also include ArvanCloud Global Technologies, a Dubai-based affiliate of Arvan Cloud that provides cloud services on behalf of the company, providing a bridge for its connection to the global internet.​​​​​​​