Satellite image providers have been progressively constrained by the American government to suspend the broadcast of their streams over the Gulf and Iran, limiting media and analysts’ access to information from conflict zones and opening the door for Russia and China to fill this gap.
Satellite images, closely monitored by internet users, observers, television channels, and armed forces involved in the conflict, will no longer be available to the general public.
The American company Planet Labs announced to its clients on Saturday that it would comply with a request from the American government to indefinitely suspend the publication of its high-resolution conflict-related photographs in the Middle East. Vantor (formerly Maxar), another major player in satellite imaging, had already announced similar restrictions a few weeks ago.
Since the start of the war in the Middle East triggered by Israeli-American strikes in Iran at the end of February, spreading to the Gulf with Tehran’s retaliation, Planet Labs had already implemented publication delays. On March 6, the company temporarily suspended the broadcast of its images from Gulf countries for 96 hours, which was quickly extended to 14 days for security reasons.
The Pentagon refused to confirm whether the American government had formally requested satellite image providers to restrict the dissemination of their photographs. However, according to an email sent by Planet Labs on Saturday, the government had indeed asked “all satellite imaging providers” to indefinitely suspend the publication of images.
In a statement to The New York Times, Planet Labs specified that this request was motivated by “security and operational safety reasons.” The company added that it would “voluntarily suspend the broadcast of images from the area until the end of the conflict” and would implement a “controlled dissemination of images” deemed safe.
“Tool for verification” during conflicts According to The Wrap, the new policy severely restricts one of the few tools available to the press to verify strikes, assess damages, and monitor military developments in hard-to-reach areas. Several media outlets warned that these limitations could complicate the work of journalists, researchers, and independent analysts documenting the war in Iran.
In recent weeks, other satellite image providers have also implemented new restrictions and access delays to data from the region, while some companies have emphasized that the controls applied to certain Middle Eastern areas align with their long-established image access policies.
It is primarily through satellite images that most of the strikes by both sides are documented by the press or internet users, as access to information on conflict zones remains fragmented due to censorship and internet restrictions, especially in Iran.
For example, photos on the ground published on Sunday, March 29, on a Facebook account dedicated to American military affairs showed an E-3 Sentry AWACS completely destroyed, its giant radar destroyed after being hit by a Shahed drone. The aircraft, stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, about 600km from the Iranian coast, was reportedly specifically targeted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
An opening for the Russians and the Chinese? Since these recent restrictions, independent verification of strikes and military installations in the Gulf has become almost impossible, quickly filled with false images, largely generated by artificial intelligence. Without reliable sources from serious satellite operators, how can anything be believed in the fog of war?
Meanwhile, adversaries of the United States have alternatives that American companies refuse to provide to their own clients. According to The Washington Post and Associated Press, Moscow provides intelligence to Iran to target American installations, while the Chinese company MizarVision disseminates images of American military movements in the region.
Furthermore, Chinese companies like MizarVision and Jing’an Technology use artificial intelligence and open data to track and broadcast American military movements in the Middle East, compiling satellite images, flight, and navigation data. Although Beijing claims not to be involved in the conflict, these private companies, sometimes linked to the military, allow China to strengthen its intelligence capabilities while officially keeping its distance.
This imbalance poses a risk to American operations’ security, particularly worrying American lawmakers. “The threat to the American technological ecosystem is not theoretical, it is imminent. The United States cannot allow the Chinese Communist Party to use commercial intelligence technologies in real-time intelligence on American troops,” recently wrote the House Committee on China. Therefore, the suspension of Planet Labs is unlikely to eliminate all risks associated with satellite espionage for the American military.
