Trump Asks Satellite Imaging Firm Planet Labs to 'Indefinitely Withhold' Visuals from Iran War

New Delhi: Planet Labs, a California-based commercial satellite imaging company founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists, has announced it will indefinitely withhold high-resolution imagery of Iran and the broader West Asia conflict region. The decision, the commercial satellite imaging company has claimed, follows a request from the US government under President Donald Trump’s administration, which asked all satellite imagery providers to implement an “indefinite withhold of imagery” from the designated Area of Interest (AOI). 

According to many news reports and also posts shared on social media, Planet Labs, in an email to customers, sent on April 4, 2026, stated: “Effective retroactively from March 9, 2026, Planet is moving to a managed access model, extending the publication delay for all new imagery within the designated AOI, and releasing imagery on a case-by-case basis and for urgent, mission-critical requirements or in the public interest.”

The company added: “These are extraordinary circumstances, and we are doing all we can to balance the needs of all our stakeholders.” 

This move expands on earlier restrictions: Planet had previously imposed a 96-hour delay on West Asia imagery, which was later extended to 14 days last month, citing concerns that the data could be used by adversaries to target US and allied forces.

The blackout is expected to remain in place “through the end of the conflict.”

The US-Israel aerial attacks against Iran began on February 28, 2026, after which the conflict spread regionally, with Iran launching missile and drone barrages at Israel, US assets and civilian infrastructure in the Gulf.

Planet Labs noted that the move aligns with policies of other remote sensing companies. Access to imagery outside the designated conflict zone remains unaffected.

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