Planet Labs agency suspends supply of satellite images of the war against Iran

The satellite imaging company Planet Labs announced that it will indefinitely retain those related to Iran and the conflict region of the Middle East to comply with a request from the president of the United States, Donald Trump, reported the Al Jazeera media.

The US firm announced the decision in an email sent to clients last Saturday, with news agencies citing that the government had asked satellite graphics providers to impose an “indefinite retention of images”.

The agency also commented that this restriction extends the 14-day delay on Middle East imagery that Planet Labs implemented last month, which extended an initial 96-hour delay so that adversaries would not use that imagery to attack the United States or its allies.

“These are extraordinary circumstances and we are doing everything possible to balance the needs of all our stakeholders,” the company stated.

Planet Labs also announced that it will retain images dating back to March 9 and expects this policy to remain in place until the end of the war, which began on February 28 with the launch of US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran. Since then, the conflict has spread across the region, with Iran launching missiles and drones against Israeli and US targets.

The company, founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists and which specializes in satellite image analysis for strategic decision-making based on geospatial data, assured that with a new system, it will publish images on a case-by-case basis for urgent needs and of vital importance to the mission or for public interest, Al Jazeera mentioned.