U.S. trade restrictions force Blizzard to block World of Warcraft/Battle.net from Iran

Blizzard has shed some light on the recent restrictions imposed on Iran with World of Warcraft and other services offered through Battle.net.

While they couldn't speak to any reports about the Iranian government restricting games from its citizens, they did address the U.S. trade restrictions that prevent Blizzard from doing business with the country.

"What we can tell you is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran," Blizzard explained. "Several of you have seen and cited the text in the Terms of Use which relates to these government-imposed sanctions."

"This week, Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services."

According to Blizzard, these restrictions also prevent them from providing any refunds, credits, transfers, or other service options to accounts in those countries.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this causes and will happily lift these restrictions as soon as US law allows," Blizzard concluded.