“No Presence In Iran”
Apple Inc. has recently removed popular apps from its App Store that were accessible in Iran.
So-called “new-age global corporation” said that a move was made to comply with the US national sanctions against Iran as a country.
“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 said in a message to Iranians.
The New York Times anticipated an action like it “has not stopped Iranians from snapping up millions of iPhones smuggled in from places like Dubai and Hong Kong. Nor has it kept Iranian app developers rom creating thousands of apps for local users and offering them through App Stores outside Iran”.
From the Iranian side, Information and Communication Technology Minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted, promising to “legally pursue” the case: “Today, respecting consumers’ rights is a basic principle which Apple has not followed… IT should be used for making human life better and comfortable not a tool for discrimination between countries.”
The hashtag #StopRemovingIranianApps has been trending on Iranian social media for several days, after Apple removed at least 10 of the country’s most popular apps from its online store.
Those now missing include Amazon-style shopping apps Digikala and Bamilo, ride-hailing apps Snapp and Tap30, discount store Takhfifan and a brunch delivery service called Delion.
“We are unable to include your app on the App Store,” a message sent to some of those companies reportedly 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.”
The United States lifted some sanctions on Iran, particularly in the aviation sector, under a 2015 nuclear deal that saw Tehran limit its atomic programme.
But American individuals and companies are still barred from doing any business with Iranians because of much older and non-nuclear related sanctions on the Islamic republic.
Iran’s youthful and well-connected population own some 40 million smart phones, six million of them iPhones, the government-owned Iran Daily newspaper reported.
Apple Inc. has once again confirmed itself as an ordinary puppet structure operating in profit of US/Global elites. Earlier it was obviously not a matter of question that all Apple’s actions against official Beijing and Moscow were politically motivated.
However, today on the global market there are a number of alternative solutions that already surpass the software and hardware capabilities of Apple solutions. It is quite possible that these Apple’s actions will lead to the rapid development of alternative solutions freely available to all users around the world.
