Iranian president Rouhani orders his government to implement a ban on all Israeli-made technology, a ridiculous request in light of Startup Nation’s dominance in the hi-tech world.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani ordered his government to implement new legislation to ban the use of any Israeli products in the Islamic Republic, the FARS news agency reported Tuesday.
The law was passed “to confront the hostile acts of the Zionist regime against peace and security,” the report said, adding that all branches of government had to comply, including the interior, intelligence, foreign and defense ministries.
“Any cooperation or spying for the Zionist regime is equal to enmity towards God and corruption on earth and activities of the Israeli software platforms in Iran, and using its hardware and software products is forbidden,” spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Seyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, told FARS.
With Israeli know-how showing up in all aspects of hardware and software, it is not clear how the Iranians can ever hope to implement such a law.
The top computer companies in the world, including Intel, Microsoft, Google, IBM and others, have all heavily invested in the Jewish state and have extensive research and development operations, employing tens of thousands of Israelis. Israeli knowhow and technology is incorporated in many of their products that are used around the world, including in Iran.
It appears to be mission impossible for Rouhani and the ayatollahs, who regularly declare that their goal is the “total annihilation” of Israel.
Israeli technology is part of everything from Microsoft operating systems to Apple iPhones. Even the ubiquitous disk-on-key is an Israeli invention, patented by Kfar Saba-based M-Systems in November, 2000. It is difficult to imagine how Iranians would manage without the disk-on-key, let alone remove the Windows operating system from all of their computers.
The new bill also bans transferring goods produced by Israeli companies to Iranian territories “as well as participation of Israeli nationals and firms in exhibitions held inside Iran.” However, FARS did not mention that Israelis are already barred from entering Iran, so it is unclear why the Iranians think any Israeli might attend a trade show there.
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