[mikejb]

Whilst I understand where the author is coming from, I'm not sure the companies are to blame here.

> Two years ago, under the guise of complying with American sanctions against Iran — sanctions that have existed for decades — Apple started removing Iranian apps from its platform.

Sanctions aren't always clear-cut, and if a buck is to be made, companies often try to stretch interpretations, try to fly under the radar or rely on the administration on being lenient in some aspects. So I'm not sure it's as simple as "sanctions existed before, so this must be the companies fault".

I'd much rather see sanctions in this space limited/removed - but I hold no hopes for enabling moves in this geopolitical game of power.

[arjmandi]

I don't think to blame the companies will have any effect either. We think these companies with their financial and market power can do better here to show that the tech community is not a part of political war. For example, there can be new companies in third countries with no legal obligation to US sanctions that can provide Apple and Google products to countries like Iran.