But the main reason, I think, was the flash runtime was an energy hog, and at the time (up until iPhone 4 or so), that meant using a Flash website on an iPhone

But the main reason, I think, was the flash runtime was an energy hog, and at the time (up until iPhone 4 or so), that meant using a Flash website on an iPhone would shorten battery life and put the blame on Apple. At the time, they vetoed many things for that reason.