SAEDNEWS: Several Iranian websites have moved to local domains after US sanctions disrupted their access to international services.
According to Saednews, US sanctions and restrictions imposed by international digital service providers have disrupted Iranian websites’ access to the global internet, prompting several platforms to abandon their international domain addresses and switch to domestic alternatives as foreign providers limit services available to Iranian businesses.
The disruptions began on November 7, when sports news website Varzesh3 and cryptocurrency exchange Tetherland reported difficulties accessing their .com domains.
Varzesh3, one of Iran’s leading sports news platforms, announced that its website was now accessible through varzesh3.ir. The platform provides match coverage, live scores and sports news.
Tetherland, an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange specializing in Tether (USDT) transactions, also migrated to tetherland.ir, assuring users that their digital assets remained secure.
By November 8, the disruptions had affected other platforms, including Hoosha, which provides access to artificial intelligence tools, and Virgool, an Iranian publishing platform for articles and personal blogs.
Hoosha blamed the disruptions affecting some Iranian .com domains on a foreign service provider, ruling out any connection to its domestic technical infrastructure or a security breach. The platform restored access through hoosha.ai and advised Iranian businesses to move their domains away from the US-based registrar GoDaddy.
Virgool, meanwhile, reported that its international .io domain had been blocked without prior notice. The platform said it was pursuing the matter through its domain provider's support service.
The developments follow an earlier warning from AFTA, a cybersecurity center operating under Iran’s presidency. On October 29, the center urged organizations to migrate their websites to Iran’s domestic .ir domain, cautioning that sanctions-related restrictions could suddenly disrupt access to international domain extensions, including .com, .net and .org.
