It is the first time an official ban on the game was reported. But some computer store owners said they had declined to stock "Battlefield 3" since its release, anticipating the crackdown on it.

"I do not have any copy of the game," said Hamid, a shop owner who requested his last name not be used.

Iranian police overseeing public places "raided (some shops) and arrested owners for selling the game secretly" even before the ban became public, he said.