Abr Arvan

Abr Arvan, also known as ArvanCloud, is an Iranian cloud technology company whose services include content delivery, cloud infrastructure, platform services, object storage, video-on-demand, domain name systems, data-center capacity, network monitoring, and distributed-denial-of-service mitigation. The company presents itself as a provider of cloud infrastructure and related developer and enterprise services, while Iranian business coverage has described it as an important part of the country’s domestic cloud ecosystem. The company’s origins date to 2014, when a four-person founding team began developing cloud-technology products. The members had first encountered one another through the WorldSkills competition. Their project was selected in March 2015 at Fanap’s innovation competition. Following an initial investment reported as 300 million Iranian tomans from Fanap, the company began formal operations and was registered in January 2015. It was also accepted that year into Iran’s knowledge-based company program at the first startup level. Abr Arvan expanded its relationship with Fanap through a second capital increase in 2018. The transaction was reported at a valuation of 200 billion tomans and raised Fanap Holding’s total shareholding to 47 percent. By 2020, the company was reported to have approximately 50,000 clients and to provide free cloud services to around 300 Iranian companies. The same period also saw external technology measurement describing Abr Arvan as the world’s eighth-largest content delivery network provider, although rankings of this kind depend on methodology and measurement date. Its service portfolio combines edge and infrastructure products. Its CDN distributes web content through geographically positioned network infrastructure, while its cloud offerings include infrastructure as a service and platform as a service. The company has also offered object storage, video streaming and video-on-demand capabilities, cloud DNS, data-center services, network-availability monitoring under the Radar name, and DDoS protection. This breadth allows it to serve websites, software developers, media organizations, and enterprises seeking domestic hosting or delivery capacity. Abr Arvan has also become a subject of public controversy because of its reported relationship with Iranian state internet infrastructure initiatives. In 2021, it was reported to have entered into a contract with Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies for the Iran Cloud project, which critics associated with the National Information Network and possible state control over access to the global internet. The company’s public-relations leadership denied that Abr Arvan was participating in internet nationalization or restriction efforts. The issue nevertheless became central to later European and U.S. sanctions designations. The company experienced significant technical incidents as well. A 2018 attack using Telegram MTProto or MTProxy infrastructure reportedly disrupted its networks. In March 2021, large attacks against its infrastructure-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service operations led it to remove data centers from the public network for several days. In 2022, reporting also alleged that a German company had helped Abr Arvan circumvent sanctions. The European Union sanctioned the company in November 2022, alleging that it supported Iranian efforts to control internet access and build a separate national internet environment. The United States designated Abr Arvan, two senior employees, and an affiliated United Arab Emirates company in June 2023 over alleged involvement in facilitating Iranian internet censorship. Following a legal complaint by the company, the European Union announced the revocation of its sanctions against Abr Arvan in April 2024. Fanap’s leadership also said that approximately 75 percent of the Arvan team had emigrated from Iran during 2022–2023, reflecting the wider impact of political and economic conditions on the company’s workforce.

Abr Arvan emerged from a small Iranian product-development team focused on cloud technologies. The founding group consisted of four people who had become acquainted through the WorldSkills competition. In March 2015, their project was selected in Fanap’s innovation competition. Fanap subsequently provided an initial investment reported at 300 million Iranian tomans, enabling the company to begin formal operations. Abr Arvan was officially registered in January 2015 and was accepted in March of that year into Iran’s knowledge-based company program as a level-one startup. The company developed around the idea of supplying cloud and network services for Iranian customers. Its product scope expanded beyond a basic hosting operation to include content delivery, infrastructure and platform cloud services, object storage, video-on-demand, streaming, cloud DNS, data-center capacity, network monitoring, and DDoS mitigation. This combination positioned Abr Arvan as an infrastructure provider for websites, software applications, media services, and other organizations requiring locally available cloud capacity. Fanap remained a significant institutional backer. In 2018, a second capital increase was reportedly completed at a valuation of 200 billion tomans. After that transaction, Fanap Holding’s total stake was reported to have reached 47 percent. By 2020, Abr Arvan was said to serve about 50,000 clients and to provide free cloud services to approximately 300 Iranian companies. Iranian economic reporting characterized the company as part of the country’s broader cloud ecosystem. International web-technology measurements also placed its CDN among the largest globally at that time, although such rankings are dependent on the source’s coverage and methodology. Abr Arvan’s infrastructure encountered major security and availability problems. In 2018, a Telegram MTProto or MTProxy-based DDoS attack reportedly took down parts of its network. In March 2021, major attacks targeted its IaaS and PaaS services. The company responded by taking its data centers off the public network, and the resulting interruption reportedly lasted several days. These incidents highlighted both the operational importance of its infrastructure and the exposure of a concentrated domestic cloud provider to politically or technically motivated attacks. The company’s public profile changed substantially after reports connected it with Iran’s Iran Cloud project. In 2021, Abr Arvan was reported to have contracted with Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies. Critics associated the project with the National Information Network, an Iranian domestic network architecture that could enable the government to separate domestic traffic from the global internet and regulate or block international connectivity. Abr Arvan’s public-relations manager rejected the characterization that the company was involved in internet nationalization or restriction. The dispute nevertheless became a recurring part of international reporting about the company. European reporting in 2022 also alleged that a German company assisted Abr Arvan in circumventing sanctions. On 14 November 2022, the European Union sanctioned Abr Arvan, alleging that it supported Iranian government efforts to control access to the internet and establish a separate Iranian internet environment. The measures included an asset freeze, travel restrictions where applicable, and a prohibition on EU persons and companies making funds available to the company. In June 2023, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control separately designated Abr Arvan, two senior employees, and an affiliated United Arab Emirates company over alleged facilitation of Iranian internet censorship. In early April 2024, the EU announced that it had revoked its sanctions against Abr Arvan after the company pursued a legal complaint. The available reference material does not establish the company’s current ownership structure, executive roster, or the full operational effect of these measures. Fanap leadership additionally reported that roughly three-quarters of the Arvan team had emigrated from Iran during 2022–2023, illustrating the severe talent-retention pressures affecting the business.

• 2024

  EU sanctions revoked

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  The EU announced the revocation of its sanctions against Abr Arvan following a legal complaint by the company.

• 2023

  United States sanctions designation

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  OFAC designated Abr Arvan, two senior employees, and an affiliated UAE company over alleged support for Iranian internet censorship.

• 2022

  European Union sanctions

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  The EU imposed sanctions over alleged support for Iranian internet-control and censorship infrastructure.

• 2021

  Major IaaS and PaaS outage

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  Large attacks against IaaS and PaaS services caused a multiday disruption and led the company to remove data centers from the public network.

• 2021

  Iran Cloud controversy

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  Reports linked Abr Arvan to an Iran Cloud contract with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, prompting controversy over the National Information Network.

• 2020

  Reported expansion to 50,000 clients

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported approximately 50,000 clients and free cloud services for about 300 Iranian companies.

• 2018

  Fanap capital increase

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  A second capital increase was reportedly completed at a valuation of 200 billion tomans, taking Fanap Holding’s total stake to 47 percent.

• 2018

  Reported DDoS disruption

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  A Telegram MTProto or MTProxy-based DDoS attack reportedly disrupted Abr Arvan’s network.

• 2015

  Project selected in Fanap innovation competition

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  The founding team’s project was selected in Fanap’s innovation competition in March.

• 2015

  Formal registration and knowledge-based startup status

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  The company was officially registered and accepted into Iran’s knowledge-based company program as a level-one startup.

• 2014

  Cloud technology venture begins

  [1]Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org

  Abr Arvan’s founding team began developing cloud-technology products.

A domestic Iranian cloud and edge-infrastructure provider offering an integrated alternative for web delivery, hosting, storage, application platforms, streaming, and network protection.

• Network and edge services

  Content Delivery Network

  Abr Arvan’s CDN distributes website and application content through geographically distributed delivery infrastructure. It is intended to improve response times and availability for users accessing Iranian-hosted or internationally connected services. External measurement cited in the reference material placed Abr Arvan among the world’s largest CDN providers in 2020, though the exact ranking depends on the measurement methodology.

• Cloud computing

  Infrastructure as a Service

  The company provides virtualized infrastructure services for customers needing compute and related cloud capacity without operating all physical infrastructure themselves. IaaS became one of the services affected by the major attacks and outage reported in March 2021.

• Cloud computing

  Platform as a Service

  Abr Arvan’s PaaS offering provides a managed environment for deploying and operating applications. It is part of the company’s effort to serve developers and enterprises with services above the raw infrastructure layer.

• Cloud storage

  Object Storage

  Object storage gives customers a cloud-based repository for unstructured data and application assets. It complements Abr Arvan’s CDN, computing, and media services by supporting the storage and delivery of files and other digital objects.

• Media cloud services

  Video-on-Demand and Streaming

  Abr Arvan provides video-oriented cloud capabilities, including video-on-demand and streaming services. These services are designed to support the hosting, processing, and delivery of audiovisual content through the company’s wider cloud and distribution infrastructure.

• Network services

  Cloud DNS

  The company offers cloud-based domain name system services as part of its network portfolio. DNS services can be used alongside CDN, hosting, and application infrastructure to direct users toward available services and improve operational control.

• Network monitoring

  Radar

  Radar is described as a network-availability monitoring service that provides visibility into connectivity and service reachability.

• Cybersecurity and network protection

  DDoS Mitigation

  Abr Arvan provides DDoS mitigation as a protection service for customer-facing websites and applications. Its relevance was underscored by the company’s own reported network disruptions caused by large denial-of-service attacks.

• 2023

  United States sanctions designation

  The U.S. Treasury designated Abr Arvan, two senior employees, and an affiliated UAE company, alleging that they facilitated Iranian government censorship of the internet.

  Source

• 2022

  Allegations of sanctions circumvention assistance

  European investigative reporting alleged that a German company supported Abr Arvan in circumventing sanctions.

  Source

• 2022

  European Union sanctions

  The EU sanctioned Abr Arvan for alleged support of Iranian government efforts to control internet access and establish a separate national internet environment. The measures included an asset freeze and restrictions on making funds available to the company. The EU later announced that the sanctions had been revoked in 2024 after the company filed a legal complaint.

  Source

• 2021

  Iran Cloud and National Information Network controversy

  Reports linked Abr Arvan to an Iran Cloud contract with Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies. Critics argued that the project could support a domestic network capable of limiting access to the global internet. The company’s public-relations manager denied involvement in internet nationalization or restriction.

  Source

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• 2024

  Challenged European Union sanctionsOther

  Background

  The European Union had sanctioned Abr Arvan in 2022 over alleged involvement in Iranian internet-control infrastructure.

  Action taken

  Abr Arvan lodged a legal complaint against the sanctions.

  Aftermath

  The EU announced the revocation of its sanctions against the company in early April 2024.

  Source

• 2021

  Removed data centers from the public network during attack responseOther

  Background

  Large attacks targeted Abr Arvan’s IaaS and PaaS services in March 2021.

  Action taken

  The company took its data centers off the public network while responding to the attacks.

  Aftermath

  The outage reportedly lasted several days and disrupted cloud-service availability.

  Source

• 2018

  Expanded Fanap ownership through a capital increaseStrategy

  Background

  Abr Arvan sought additional capital as it expanded its cloud and network-services business.

  Action taken

  Fanap Holding participated in a second capital increase reportedly valued at 200 billion tomans, bringing its total shareholding to 47 percent.

  Aftermath

  The transaction strengthened Abr Arvan’s relationship with Fanap and supported its development as a broader Iranian cloud-services provider.

  Reported valuation. 200 billion Iranian tomans (2018)

  Source

1. 1Abr Arvanen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Abr Arvan official websitearvancloud.ir