Alex,
Iran's refusal to acknowledge international copyright laws is a major reason for this. I know there are alot of other reasons but this is a main one. I have beenover there and it is crazy. Software bazaars on the street with np product more than a few bucks. It is all copied and stolen. I am sure there are some businesses doing things the legal way but the majority of vendors stear clear of countries that condone the theft of software and intellectual property.

There are also several trade embargos still in place from the 70's.


http://www.iranexpert.com/2004/linux21september.htm

http://news.com.com/2061-1016-5381551.html?tag=xtra.ml