Battle.net service blocked in Iran

Blizzard has confirmed that players from Iran have been blocked from accessing the Battle.net online service.

Blizzard made the move to comply with United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws.

This means users in Iran cannot access popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Diablo 3 and Guild Wars, among others.

An official statement was released on the Battle.net forums explaining the block: "Blizzard Entertainment cannot speak to any reports surrounding the Iranian government restricting games from its citizens.

"What we can tell you is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran.

"Several of you have seen and cited the text in the Terms of Use which relates to these government-imposed sanctions. This week, Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services."

The statement also confirmed that no refunds of any kind would be able to occur due to the restrictions.

"This also prevents us from providing any refunds, credits, transfers, or other service options to accounts in these countries. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and will happily lift these restrictions as soon as US law allows."