Abar Arvan Company Removed from EU Sanctions List

The European Union has removed the name of the company Abar Arvan (ArvanCloud) from its sanctions list in its annual update of individuals and entities under sanctions. The decision, published on Thursday, April 5, 2024, does not specify the reason for the removal of the Iranian company Abar Arvan from this list. The EU had sanctioned Abar Arvan on November 14, 2022, in response to the violent crackdown on protesters following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the company's role in internet censorship and preventing Iranians from accessing free internet. Additionally, about seven months after this EU action, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on June 2, 2023, sanctions against Abar Arvan technology company, two of its founders, and an affiliated company for facilitating internet censorship in Iran. According to the U.S. Treasury's statement, Abar Arvan is a key partner of Iran's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in developing the 'National Information Network,' or national internet, which is used to cut off Iranians' access to the global internet. The Treasury's statement added that Abar Arvan plays a significant role in developing the 'National Information Network' and has been involved in controlling and censoring data traffic and blocking certain websites at the request of the 'Working Group for Determining Criminal Content.' The U.S. Treasury also noted that this company has close ties with Iranian intelligence agencies, including the Ministry of Intelligence, and its current officials are members of the current and former Ministry of Intelligence. The U.S. Special Envoy for Iran at that time also stated that the sanctions against Abar Arvan were aimed at supporting Iranians' access to free and uncensored internet, emphasizing the company's close relationship with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and that its senior managers are affiliated with current or former members of this ministry. In September of the same year, Australia and the UK also sanctioned Abar Arvan. The UK government, in its statement, referred to Abar Arvan as responsible for providing technology used in the repression of the Iranian people and added that Abar Arvan is a key partner of the Iranian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, supporting the development of a national intranet to cut off communication between the Iranian people and the global internet. Western countries, led by the United States, especially after the violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the severe restrictions imposed on Iranian citizens' access to free information and internet, have repeatedly emphasized their strong support for this fundamental right of Iranian citizens and stated that individuals and entities violating it will be held accountable. Media revelations from Germany about the role of a German company in cutting off the internet in Iran; Abar Arvan is involved. Abar Arvan, 'supporter of online businesses' or 'butcher of the internet' in Iran. Free internet and independent media are the number one enemy of the Islamic Republic. Users report that access to Instagram in Iran is 'difficult.'