Iranians Denied Access to World of Warcraft

Ban is part of new U.S. sanctions

They've vanquished elves, trolls, and all manner of magical monsters. But one select group of online gamers is facing an even more formidable foe: The U.S. sanctions regime.

Iranian players of "World of Warcraft," the massively popular online multiplayer franchise, have found themselves frozen out by Blizzard Activision Inc., the American company behind the game. Iranian role playing enthusiasts have spent much of the past week peppering Blizzard's message board with complaints about how they weren't able to log on to the service—only to be told recently that U.S. law was to blame.