Planet Labs Suspends Iran Satellite Imagery Indefinitely After US Government Request Amid Middle East Conflict

Satellite‑imaging firm Planet Labs confirmed it will indefinitely suspend the distribution of visuals covering Iran and the wider Middle East conflict zone, responding to a direct request from the United States government.

The California‑based company communicated the decision to its customers via email on Saturday, stating that the administration had asked imagery providers to impose an “indefinite withhold of imagery.”

This restriction builds on a 14‑day delay introduced last month, which itself extended an earlier 96‑hour hold. Those temporary measures were intended to prevent hostile actors from exploiting commercial satellite data to target U.S. and allied forces.

Planet Labs will withhold all imagery captured since March 9 and expects the policy to stay in place until the end of the war, which began on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched aerial strikes against Iran. Since then, the conflict has escalated, with Iran firing missiles and drones at Israeli and U.S. assets and striking civilian infrastructure throughout the Gulf region.

Founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists, the company said it will shift to a “managed distribution” model, releasing images only on a case‑by‑case basis for urgent, mission‑critical needs or when deemed to serve the public interest.

“These are extraordinary circumstances, and we are doing all we can to balance the needs of all our stakeholders,” Planet Labs said in its statement.

Satellite technology remains vital for military operations—supporting target identification, weapons guidance, missile tracking, and communications. Some space analysts warn that Iran could still access commercial imagery through adversarial channels, while journalists and researchers rely on such data to monitor hard‑to‑reach areas.