US Ends Iran Embargo of Mobile Phones, Some Tech Devices

As elections approach, the technology can be used to help citizens get information

The U.S. government has lifted sanctions on the export of a variety of consumer communications devices, software and services including mobile phones to Iran ahead of elections in that country.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the U.S. Department of State, has issued a license authorizing the export to Iran of certain personal communications services, software and hardware, it said on Thursday.

Exports of the devices to Iran had been blocked since the 1990s, but the U.S. government now holds that the new license aims to empower the Iranian people as their government intensifies its efforts to stifle their access to information.

The export of the equipment to the Iranian government or to any individual or entity on a Specially Designated Nationals list continued to be prohibited.