Virtual Embassy of the United States blocked in Iran
Iran closes its doors to the Internet virtual embassy of the United States.
On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department has opened a virtual embassy in Iran, described by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a platform for discussions of “open and fearless” with the Iranians about the U.S., its policies and the American people.
The virtual embassy is available in English and fa. It is designed specifically for young Iranians including information on opportunities to study in the United States. Since 1979 and with the Islamic revolution, the United States have no diplomatic relations with Iran and have no physical Embassy in Tehran.
The virtual embassy is not presented as a formal diplomatic mission or a real American embassy accredited by the Iranian government. “But in the absence of direct contact, it can be a bridge between Iranian and American people,” reads the site.
No real surprise, Iran has decided to block the virtual embassy. Iranian Internet users trying to access iran.usembassy.gov are entitled to a message warning them that under the law on cybercrime, access to the site is impossible.
As to access Facebook for example, Iranian Internet are then forced to have recourse to such a VPN (virtual private network).