What works in Iran — 2026 status under sanctions + domestic blocking

Updated 2026-04-24

TL;DR

Iran's internet sits under two stacked layers of blocking: US Treasury OFAC sanctions (Spotify, Apple Music, Apple TV+, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and nearly every major US service refuse Iran-IP traffic and cannot accept payment), plus domestic censorship (Telegram officially banned since 2018 with on-and-off unbans, Facebook/X blocked since the 2009 Green Movement, YouTube throttled). Domestic alternatives thrive: Filimo (Sabaiidea streaming), Aparat (YouTube alternative), Cafe Bazaar (local app store), and homegrown messengers like Bale, Soroush, Rubika. Actual Telegram usage still exceeds 50M. WhatsApp/Instagram were officially blocked after the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests but remain daily tools through overseas exit nodes. Iran's 2024 law restricting bypass tools is enforced selectively — ordinary users almost never face penalties.

✓ Available

Officially banned but ~50M actual users, via overseas exit

Blocked after 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, requires overseas exit

Instagram

Domestically blocked but massive user base, needs overseas node

X (Twitter)

Blocked since 2009, accessible via overseas exit

YouTube Premium

Throttled but not hard-blocked; Premium not billed to IR

TikTok

Not officially banned, overseas exit reduces throttling

International edition works, stable via overseas exit

Not officially banned, more stable via overseas node

Discord

Works via overseas exit, unstable from local IP

Netflix

Technical access via overseas exit; payment blocked by OFAC

Binance

Locally banned but huge user base, register via overseas node

OKX

Gray zone, accessible via overseas node

✗ Not available / Restricted

Facebook

Hard-blocked since 2009 Green Movement

Spotify

OFAC sanctions, no subscription payment

Apple Music

OFAC sanctions, Apple ID refuses IR

Apple TV+

OFAC sanctions across Apple product line

ChatGPT

OpenAI refuses IR IPs entirely

Claude

Anthropic refuses IR per OFAC

Gemini

Google services restricted in IR

Disney+

OFAC sanctions, never entered

HBO Max

OFAC sanctions, WBD refuses IR

PayPal

OFAC sanctions, fully blocks IR

Tips

Inside Iran, exit-node 'cleanliness' matters more than raw speed. OFAC-restricted services (Apple, Spotify, ChatGPT, Claude) double-block IR: you must escape domestic censorship AND show the target service a non-Iranian, clean IP. Prefer residential-IP exits — datacenter IPs get flagged by paid services even after exiting. Turkey, UAE, and Europe are common transit geographies with manageable latency. V2Ray, Trojan, and Hysteria2 are popular bypass protocols domestically, but Iran's 2024 law banned the sale and promotion of such tools — ordinary users rarely face prosecution, though distribution channels are squeezed. AI services need overseas phone numbers for signup since Iranian numbers are globally blocked by AI providers; pair an exit node with a virtual number or third-party physical number. During major political events (2022 protests, 2024 elections) domestic bandwidth is severely throttled and tools commonly fail — keep multiple backup setups.