The struggle for transparency around war
European Union grants US request to restrict satellite images of Iran War region
New delay on Copernicus satellite pics comes as US ramps up war with Iran again.
The European Union has begun delaying the release of satellite images showing shipping lanes near the Strait of Hormuz by 24 hours. The move comes in response to an earlier US government request and coincides with the Trump administration ramping up the war with Iran once again.
The unusual change in the free and open data policy for Europe’s Copernicus Earth observation program was revealed by Space News, which reviewed a copy of the decision made by the Council of the EU on July 13. The ordered delay applies to images taken by Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites and covers the Gulf of Oman region that includes shipping lanes leading to and from the contested Strait of Hormuz.
The US government first requested that the European Union restrict Copernicus satellite imagery on May 26, according to the decision document seen by Space News. That request occurred during a shaky ceasefire period for the war that began on April 8 and ended on July 8, when the US military resumed a broader campaign of military strikes following an announcement by President Donald Trump.
Satellite imagery has played important military and open source intelligence roles during the war that began with the United States and Israel attacking Iran on February 28. The US military and US intelligence agencies have continually used their satellite constellations to monitor Iranian activity during the war. Meanwhile, Iran has turned to Chinese satellite imagery to gain a similar advantage in striking US military bases and other targets.
The modern rise of commercial satellite imagery and free public resources such as Europe’s Copernicus satellite imagery has also enabled news agencies and open source intelligence researchers to provide additional transparency on conflicts around the world. But US satellite firms such as Planet Labs and Vantor have largely restricted imagery related to the ongoing Iran war after the US government raised concerns about security risks.
Such restrictions have forced journalists and researchers to rely more heavily on alternatives such as the free Copernicus satellite images and European firms that provide commercial satellite imagery. For example, the independent investigative journalism group Bellingcat released an open source tool that uses Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite imagery to map possible war damage in Iran and the Gulf region.
Similarly, The New York Times and Washington Post have relied on Copernicus satellite imagery to investigate the extent of damage to US military bases and radar installations from Iranian missile and drone strikes. Such reporting comes at a time when the Pentagon under Trump’s administration has become less willing to share information about US military casualties or damage to military assets during the war.
The 24-hour delay in the release of Copernicus satellite imagery is less onerous than US satellite firms’ restrictions and would still allow journalists and researchers to monitor the war.
But the new restriction does create additional friction in providing timely transparency around what is happening. The potentially widening war has already killed thousands of people and created a global energy shock from ongoing disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes—not to mention already costing the United States more than $37 billion, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth requesting another $70 billion.
