U.S. Urges Tech Companies to Speed Internet Access After Iran Crackdown on Protesters

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Protesters gathered in front of the Iranian Embassy in Berlin on Tuesday following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Treasury Department announced Friday that it will allow U.S. technology companies to expand their operations in Iran, one of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries, in an effort to facilitate Internet access for Iranian citizens.

The Iranian government has blocked Internet access to most of its 80 million citizens in an effort to suppress demonstrators protesting the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.

The morality police detained Amini last week. Amini allegedly had not properly covered her hair with an Islamic headscarf (hijab), which is obligatory for Iranian women. Amini collapsed at the police station and died three days later.

At least nine protesters have been killed in clashes with Iranian security forces since violence erupted over the weekend. The U.S. imposed sanctions on moral police and law enforcement leaders on Thursday.

The Treasury Department said the latest general license, announced Friday, allows technology companies to offer more social media and collaboration platforms, video conferencing, and cloud-based services. The updated license also removes the requirement that communications must be “personal,” which the Treasury says places the burden on companies to verify the purpose of the communication.

Undersecretary of the Treasury Vali Adeyemo said in a statement, “As brave Iranians take to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, the United States is doubling down on its support for the free flow of information to the Iranian people.”

“Through these changes, we are helping the Iranian people better cope with the government’s efforts to spy on and censor them.”

In 2014, the Treasury Department’s sanctions division issued a license authorizing the export to Iran of software and services that allow for free exchange over the Internet, with the goal of facilitating the free flow of information to Iranian citizens.
Despite this license, companies have been reluctant to do business in Iran for fear of violating existing sanctions and other penalties under the law.

On Monday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that his satellite Internet company, Starlink, would seek a license to operate in Iran. National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan said the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control will decide Starlink’s next move.

》Chinese Version

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