Concerns after satellite provider restricts Iran images following US pressure

Planet Labs says it is restricting coverage of Iran and parts of the Middle East indefinitely.

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California-based Planet Labs initially introduced a 14-day delay on providing new imagery from the region in March. It has since moved to an "indefinite" restriction.

The decision has limited how journalists, humanitarian groups and analysts can use satellite images to assess the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran, including damage to military targets and civilian infrastructure.

It is unclear what prompted the US to press Planet to suspend its coverage and the Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

Planet initially said its original 14-day delay policy was "to ensure our imagery is not tactically leveraged by adversarial actors to target allied and Nato-partner personnel and civilians".