GitHub removed restrictions on working with their services from Iran, which have been in force since 2019 in accordance with the requirements of US export regulation. All previously blocked user accounts from Iran will be unblocked and Iranian developers will be able to interact with the GitHub service without restrictions. The removal of restrictions applies to all paid and free services, private and public repositories, any category of developers and organizations.
As a reminder, any company registered in the United States, as well as companies from other countries whose activities are directly or indirectly related to the United States (including companies that make payments through US banks or systems such as Visa) are obliged to comply with the requirements for restricting exports in respect of territories subject to sanctions (Crimea, Iran, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, North Korea). Doing business in these countries requires a special permit.
To remove the restrictions, GitHub was able to obtain from the US Foreign Assets Control Office ( OFAC ) a license to operate the service in Iran. It is noted that work is currently underway to obtain a similar license to remove restrictions for Crimea and Syria.
Notably, the restrictions were lifted the day after the was widely publicized an incident with a GitHub account of the German company Neocom blocked due to the fact that one of the employees used a laptop while visiting parents in Iran.