Once upon a time, Iran had a tech scene as vibrant as any in the world—one full of inventive young people, visionary entrepreneurs, expatriated mentors, and investors who spanned continents. American sanctions conferred a peculiar advantage, because dominant tech firms such as Uber and Amazon couldn’t function in Iran. Iranians could fill this open field with their own inventions. The story of Iran’s start-ups could have been a triumphant one for Iran’s private sector, and for a young