UPDATE: I'm pulling back from seeking Western partnerships.

Multiple commenters have explained that even the "contractor + equity" structure violates sanctions and is illegal. I genuinely didn't understand this - I thought it was a gray area. It's not.

I'm not asking anyone to break the law or take legal risk. That was naive on my part.

Based on helpful suggestions in this thread, I'm now focusing on: - India (no sanctions, large tech industry) - UAE/Dubai (open to Iranian nationals) - Turkey (regional tech hub) - Singapore (need to research legality)

If you're from one of these countries and interested in partnership, feel free to reach out: [email protected]

To everyone who took the time to explain sanctions compliance: thank you. This thread educated me on things I clearly didn't understand.

The technology still works. The market still exists. I just need to find it in the right geography.