Iran threatens human rights, democracy and free speech. I applaud Apple for not sanctioning this regime by withholding their products being sold there. It is not racism to stand up to or refuse to associate with an iron-fisted dictatorship. If you think you know what is happening with or in Iran please watch this presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/HonestReporting/why-you-should-care-about-iran

Reading more about this story it is looking like that the person in question may have asked the Apple rep how she could ship the iPad to Iran. That's when the rep told her she could not.

She has the right to buy for herself but if she wants to send a gift, that’s a job for US Customs, not the Apple Store.

"After Apple Store employees overheard Sabet and her friend speaking to one another in Farsi, they asked them what language they were speaking, where they were from and where the devices were headed. When Sabet said the devices were a gift for a friend in Iran, the Apple Store denied the sale."

http://mashable.com/2012/06/21/apple-store-iran/

This was a matter of poor judgement and bad company policy. Like I said earlier the job of enforcing customs laws is for U.S. Customs and not Apple and their policy of not selling to people who would export . The denial of the sale of the iPad was wrong and my conclusion was incorrect since I was lead to believe that Apple as  a company would not allow the sale of products in Iran. I did not realize that it included sales on store level. I apologize for any misunderstanding.