Apple moves to shut down Iranian apps, citing US sanctions

Technology company Apple has removed several popular Iranian apps from its App Store platform over concerns that doing business in Iran violates US sanctions.

On Thursday, the California-based company removed Snapp, the taxi-hailing service dubbed the 'Iranian Uber’ from its platform, while last week it removed Delion, a food delivery service and Alopeyk, a parcel delivering service.

In a message to the CEOs of the businesses affected, Apple said: “Under the US sanctions regulations, the App Store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries.”

'Under the US sanctions regulations, the App Store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries'

- Apple 

The statement further added: “This area of law is complex and constantly changing. If the existing restrictions shift, we encourage you to resubmit your app for inclusion on the App Store.”

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr confirmed the message’s authenticity to the New York Times but declined further comment.

The move has provoked a strong reaction from bosses of the companies affected who fear it could harm business.

“We work so hard," Mahdi Taghizadeh, a founder of the online food delivery service Delion Foods, told the New York Times.

“No one with an iPhone can download any of the popular apps any more. Imagine if in the US you wouldn’t be able to get Uber on your phone.”

“The full removal of Iranian apps by Apple means our work will be much more complicated,” he added.

The full removal of Iranian apps by Apple means our work will be much more complicated

- Mahdi Taghizadeh, co-founder, Delion Foods

In January, Apple began removing several Iranian apps including DigiKala and Shaparak payment system app which Iranians use to skirt around restrictions banning US companies from taking payments from Iran.

However, none of the previous incidents were permanent and the apps were restored to the App Store a few days later.

Taghizadeh pointed out that while some Iranian apps had been removed, others were still available on App Store.

“There is no pattern to Apple’s new move,” he told the Financial Tribune.

“While Delion and several other applications have been removed, hundreds of other Iranian apps are still available on App Store.”

“When I inquired why only some Iranian apps have been targeted while hundreds (including some internationally known names) are still available on App Store, the Apple operator did not respond," Mehdi Nayebi, CEO of Alopeyk, one of Iran’s leading parcel delivery services, told the Financial Tribune.

Fresh round of sanctions

Because American sanctions already prevent Apple from selling hardware or distributing software in the Persian republic, developers have distributed their apps through official App stores operated in other countries.

Apple takes a cut of all App Store purchases and so sales from Iranian apps could violate US law.

Translation: 11 percent of the cellphone market in Iran belongs to Apple. Respecting customer rights is a principle today that Apple hasn’t abided by. We will legally pursue the omission of apps

In 2013, Barack Obama lifted a ban on US companies selling communication equipment to Iran while remaining sanctions were gradually wound down after the 2016 nuclear agreement was reached.

In the spirit of encouraging open access to information the Obama administration went as far as to pass measures to sanction technology companies which helped Iran - where Twitter and Facebook are banned - suppress internet communication.

But the Trump administration has adopted a more hawkish posture, putting the 2016 nuclear deal under review, modifying the existing sanction regime and then introducing a fresh round of sanctions last month in response to Iranian ballistic missile tests.

After hinting last week that Twitter and YouTube might be unblocked, Iran’s telecommunications minister, Mohammad Javad Azari, took to Twitter to complain about Apple’s decision.

“Eleven percent of the cellphone market in Iran belongs to Apple,” he wrote in Persian.

“Respecting customer rights is a principle today that Apple hasn’t abided by. We will legally pursue the omission of apps,” he added.