Tehran, Aug 28 (IANS): US technology firm Nvidia Corporation has continued to block Iranian internet users from accessing its website, the authorities said on Monday.

The software download page of Nvidia.com does not allow Iranian IP addresses to access updated software. The site now says "403 -- Forbidden", reports Xinhua news agency.

Another Nvidia website, geforce.com, has also blocked Iranian users. That website says "access denied" followed by a message saying "the request was blocked by security rules".

When users contacted the company's online customer service to ask why they were suddenly banned, Nvidia responded that "we regret to inform you that Geforce NOW and Geforce Experience is not available in embargoed nations".

Prior to Tehran's international nuclear deal in 2015, several software companies in the US and Europe blocked Iranians from accessing downloads.

Nvidia's measure comes just days after Apple began removing Iranian applications from its iOS application store.

on August 23, Apple removed Snapp, a ride-hailing app similar to Uber that is popular in Iran, from its app stores. it was followed by the removal in recent weeks of apps for food delivery, shopping and other services.

In a message to Iranian developers whose apps were affected by the ban, Apple said: "Under the U.S. sanctions regulations, the app store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries."

In response, Iran's minister of telecommunication and information technology has said that his country would legally sue the decision by Apple for removing the apps.

Apple holds 11 per cent share of the Iranian cellphone market.