U.S. blocks Duolingo English Test in Iran as part of sweeping economic crackdown

The most recent round of sweeping sanctions imposed on Iran includes a block on Duolingo’s English fluency test.

The East Liberty-based edtech company first launched the Duolingo (Nasdaq: DUOL) English Test in 2016, aiming to provide higher education institutions with the ability to test non-native English speakers’ fluencies over the internet. After a slow start, the test skyrocketed in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, as standard tests like the Test of English as a Foreign Language did not have the existing infrastructure in place for remote testing. The DET is now recognized by thousands of universities and can be used across the world, albeit, as of September 1, not in Iran.

The sanctions, officially called Operation Economic Outcast and more colloquially referred to as “Economic D-Day,” target a number of sectors in finance, energy and transportation, as well as education. As part of these moves, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has indefinitely suspended Iran General License G, which, after being established in 2014, permitted U.S. and Iranian academic institutions to participate in student exchanges, scholarship programs, and, in this case, university entrance and other exams.