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Company says move amid US-Israel war on Iran comes after a request from the US government.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Published On 5 Apr 2026<\/span>5 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Satellite imaging company Planet Labs has said it will indefinitely withhold visuals of Iran and the \u2060region of conflict in the Middle East to comply with a request from United States President Donald Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n The US company announced the decision in an email to customers on Saturday, with news agencies quoting it as saying the government had asked satellite imagery providers \u2060to impose an \u201cindefinite withhold of imagery\u201d.<\/p>\n The restriction expands upon a 14-day delay<\/a> on imagery of the Middle East that Planet Labs implemented last month, which extended an initial 96-hour delay<\/a>, a move the firm said was meant to prevent adversaries from using the imagery to attack the US and its allies.<\/p>\n Planet Labs said it will withhold imagery dating back to March 9 and \u200cthat it expects the policy to remain in effect until the end of the war, which began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched aerial attacks against Iran. The conflict has since spread across the region, with Iran firing missile and drone barrages at Israel and US assets, as well as civilian infrastructure across the Gulf.<\/p>\n Planet Labs, which was founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists, said in its email to customers that it would switch to a \u201cmanaged distribution of images\u201d deemed not \u2060to pose a risk to safety.<\/p>\n Under a new system, Planet Labs will release imagery on a case-by-case basis for urgent, mission-critical requirements or in the public interest.<\/p>\n \u201cThese \u2060are extraordinary circumstances, and we are doing all we can to balance \u2060the needs of all our stakeholders,\u201d the California-based company was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n Military uses of satellite technology include target identification, weapons guidance, missile tracking and communications. Some space specialists say Iran could be accessing commercial imagery, including pictures obtained via US adversaries. Satellite images also help journalists and academics \u2060studying hard-to-reach places.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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