US targets ‘villainous’ censorship of Iranians  The Obama
administration on Thursday issued a series of orders designed to
promote free speech in Iran and punish those responsible for
silencing the nation’s people.  A measure to equip the Iranian
citizenry with communications technology, sanctions and new visa
restrictions against dozens of Iranians is part of a broader
effort to "crack down" on government censorship and "empower"
Iran’s people.  “As we look back, there’s been an increasing
trend in their efforts to act in new and more complex and
villainous ways to crack down on the free flow of inside the
country,” a senior administration official said of those
targeted Thursday.  The centerpiece of the initiative is the
issuance of a General License expressly permitting exports to
Iran of laptops, cellphones, Internet service, software and
products that could better connect the country’s people to one
another and the rest of the world. It also includes anti-virus
software and other products that could help