US satellite imagery restrictions leave journalists in the dark on Iran and Gaza

As the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on 28 February and Tehran retaliated on targets across the Gulf, a quieter contest was taking shape over who could access satellite imagery of the war. One week after the initial strikes, US firm Planet Labs, the leading satellite imagery provider, announced it would release Gulf imagery with a four-day delay. Within days, the delay had been extended to 14 days and expanded to most of the Middle East. By early April, following a request from the US government, Planet Labs had made the restriction on high-quality imagery of the region indefinite. The most recent commercially available images of the Gulf now date from 9 March. Planet Labs said the decision was made in consultation with the government and external experts. Read more: US satellite imagery restrictions leave journalists in the dark on Iran and Gaza A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman taken by Nasa's Terra satellite on 5 February 2025 (Nasa Earth Observatory/AFP)