The European Union has approved a US request to delay the release of satellite imagery from the Copernicus programme over parts of the Gulf region, including the Gulf of Oman and maritime routes leading to the Strait of Hormuz, for 24 hours.
The exceptional measure represents a temporary departure from the open-data policy adopted by Europe’s Earth observation programme.
A decision issued by the Council of the European Union showed that the measure applies to data and imagery captured by the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites. It followed a US diplomatic memorandum submitted on 26 May under the EU’s Space Threat Response mechanism.
The decision defines a geographical area within the Gulf of Oman through a series of coordinates covering major shipping routes to and from the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime passages. The restriction comes amid escalating security and military tensions linked to the confrontation between the United States and Iran.
The Council of the European Union said the delay was necessary to prevent Copernicus products from being exploited by states or non-state actors in ways that could threaten the interests of the EU, its member states or their allies in the region.
The council added that the EU Political and Security Committee had endorsed the restrictions in June.
A Rare and Exceptional Measure
Copernicus policy normally provides users worldwide with free and immediate access to satellite imagery, making the latest decision a rare exception to the open-data rules that have formed a key part of Europe’s competitive position in the Earth observation services market.
The European Commission said the programme operates under the principle of free and open data access, but confirmed that its regulations allow restrictions to be imposed in cases involving security concerns.
It described the decision as a precautionary technical measure intended to reduce potential security risks, adding that similar measures are used by other satellite operators.
The decision comes as tighter US restrictions on satellite imagery connected to Iran and the Gulf have pushed international companies and organisations, including shipping firms, insurers, energy traders and media outlets, to seek alternatives to US data.
US satellite imagery companies have imposed restrictions on access to images of the region over recent months following requests from the US government.
The EU decision did not clarify when the 24-hour delay would take effect or how long it would remain in force. It also provided no timetable for reviewing or ending the measure.
Growing Crisis for Open-Source Journalism
US companies specialising in satellite imagery had already introduced increasingly strict limits on access to images from the Middle East amid security tensions linked to the US-Iran confrontation.
In March, US company Planet Labs announced tighter restrictions on access to its satellite imagery in the region. The company said the measure was intended to prevent the data from being used by actors that could benefit from it in operations targeting the United States or its allies.
At the time, Planet Labs increased the delay in publishing imagery to 14 days, only days after introducing an initial four-day delay.
The restrictions expanded further in April, when the company suspended access to covered imagery for an indefinite period. The move followed a US government request asking satellite imagery providers to voluntarily suspend publication across a broad geographical area linked to the war and military developments in the region.
The restrictions have also raised growing concerns about their effect on the flow of open information.
In a report published in May, the Columbia Journalism Review, a publication specialising in journalism and media affairs, described an unprecedented crisis facing open-source journalism in its coverage of the war linked to Iran.
The report said reduced access to commercial satellite imagery had weakened one of the most important tools available for independently verifying and monitoring events on the ground.
