Planet Labs, a leading commercial provider of real-time satellite imagery, announced on Monday that it would further restrict access to photos of the conflict with Iran.
The company, which has contracts with the US defense department and other American allies, said that imagery of Iran and surrounding states – including Persian Gulf states such as the UAE – would only become available to subscribers 14 days after it is captured. Images of Iran’s neighbors had already been restricted to release after four days.
Western satellite providers often restrict the release of imagery of conflict zones, including Ukraine and Gaza, to prevent adversaries from using it to monitor the battlefield.
“This measure is intended to prevent adversarial actors from using recent data for immediate Battle Damage Assessment,” Planet Labs said, “and is rooted in our commitment to ensuring the safety of allied and NATO-partner personnel and civilians on the ground.”
Satellite imagery has proven to be a critical tool for journalists covering the conflict.
Last week, CNN and others used satellite imagery from Planet Labs to determine that a deadly airstrike on an elementary school in southern Iran was conducted nearly simultaneously with strikes on an adjacent Revolutionary Guards base. The image was available to journalists just five days after the incident.
That determination, along with other evidence, led weapons experts to assert that the United States was almost certainly responsible. President Donald Trump has suggested, without evidence, that Iran used a US-manufactured Tomahawk missile to attack the school. The US Central Command has said it is investigating.
Planet Labs has extensive contracts with the US defense department, most recently winning a contract that could be worth up to $151 billion, according to a press release.
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