Washington Asks Planet Labs to Stop Selling Satellite Images of Iran and Middle East

Planet Labs and several other satellite imagery providers have suspended sales of images covering Iran and the broader Middle East after a request from Washington.

The New York Times reported on the decision.

Customers were notified by email on Saturday, April 4. The move limits public access to information about the ongoing conflict in the region.

Journalists and researchers rely on satellite images to get a fuller picture of events, especially in areas with limited access or few verified sources.

The Pentagon declined to comment on whether the US government requested the restriction. Planet Labs said the request came from Washington for “security reasons” and announced a voluntary, indefinite suspension of image publication over the affected areas. The company plans to switch to a “managed distribution” model, sharing imagery that does not pose a security risk.

In recent weeks, other satellite providers have also introduced restrictions and delays on access to data from the region. Some, including Vantor, said the measures are consistent with their long-term policies on image access.

Under the new Planet Labs policy, images will be published selectively to meet urgent needs or public-interest requirements.

The restrictions apply to imagery collected since March 9. This tightens measures introduced in March, when a 14-day delay was imposed before adding Iranian images to the archive. The company said the goal is to prevent hostile actors from exploiting the data while balancing security with transparency.

Satellite imagery has been crucial for verifying losses among US air defense and aviation assets, according to the international OSINT community. At the same time, such materials could be accessed by the Iranian military via intermediaries, potentially aiding strike planning or battle damage assessment.

Restrictions on satellite image distribution are not new. Operators often limit access to low-resolution images suitable for humanitarian or agricultural use, as seen in Ukraine.