League of Legends has been blocked in Iran and Syria due to rising political tensions between the two countries and the United States, meaning players in both regions can no longer access one of the most popular games in the world.
The relationship between Iran and the U.S. has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks after the Iranian army shot down a U.S. drone it claimed had crossed into its airspace — although U.S. military officials maintain the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Government responded to that incident by tightening sanctions on Iran and its strategic ally Syria, and is now preventing League players in both countries from accessing Riot Games’ popular MOBA.
As spotted by Dot Esports, anyone who tries to play the game are simply shown a message that reads “due to U.S. laws and regulations, players in your country cannot access League of Legends at this time.”
It’s unclear how long the block will last, but players in Iran have taken to the official League of Legends boards to express their frustrations. Although other players have sympathized, and even suggested using a VPN to circumvent the issue, it seems most of those affected by the block will simply have to wait it out.
“I’m so shocked. I woke up this morning and I can’t play anymore,” wrote one player on the League boards. “Iran is now of the big EUW League communities. There are a lot of players here and now they can’t play the game. Political problems between Iran and America are between governments. Players and people have nothing to do with this [issue].”