Satellite imaging firm Planet Labs said on Saturday (April 4, 2026) it ​will indefinitely withhold visuals of Iran and the region of conflict ⁠in the West Asia to comply with a request from the U.S. government.

California-based Planet Labs announced the decision in an email to customers and said the U.S. government had asked all ‌satellite imagery providers to indefinitely withhold images of the conflict region. The restriction expands upon a 14-day delay on imagery of the West Asia that Planet Labs imposed last month, a move the firm said ‌was ⁠meant to prevent adversaries from using it to attack the U.S. and ⁠its allies.

Planet Labs said it will withhold imagery dating back to March 9 and that it expects the policy to remain in effect until the conflict ends. The war began when the U.S. ​and Israel attacked Iran on ‌February 28, and the conflict spread in the region when Tehran responded by launching its own attacks on Israel and U.S. bases in Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Military uses of satellite technology include target identification, weapons ‌guidance, missile tracking and communications. Some space specialists say Iran could be accessing ​commercial imagery, including pictures obtained via U.S. adversaries. Satellite images also help journalists and academicians studying hard-to-reach places.

Planet Labs, which operates a ⁠large fleet of Earth-imaging satellites and sells frequently updated images to governments, companies and media, did not respond to a request for further comment.

The Pentagon said it does ‌not comment on intelligence-related matters.

Planet Labs said in its email to customers that it would switch to a “managed distribution of images” deemed not to pose a risk to safety. Under a new system, Planet Labs will release imagery on a case-by-case basis for urgent, mission-critical requirements or in the public interest.

“These are extraordinary circumstances, and we are doing all we can to balance the needs of all ‌our stakeholders,” the firm said.

One commercial provider, Vantor, formerly Maxar Technologies, told Reuters that it was not ​contacted by the U.S. government. Vantor for years has reserved the right to “implement enhanced access controls during times of geopolitical conflict” and ⁠currently has applied them for parts of the West Asia, a company spokesperson said ⁠in a statement.

Also read: Iran-Israel war LIVE updates

Those controls can include limits on who can request new images or buy existing pictures of regions where the U.S. military and ‌its allies are “actively operating,” and areas “actively targeted by adversaries,” the spokesperson said.

One other commercial provider contacted by Reuters, BlackSky Technology, did not immediately return ​a request for comment.

Iran’s men’s national soccer team wore black armbands and held ​schoolbags as their anthem played ahead of a match ‌in Turkey on Friday (March 27, 2026) in what a ​team official said was a protest ⁠over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the Iran war. Iran was playing a friendly against ‌Nigeria in the resort town of Belek ahead of the World Cup in the ‌U.S., Mexico and Canada where their participation ‌is ⁠in doubt over the conflict.

The men lined ⁠up holding pink and purple bags with ribbons on them – a reference to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh School ​which Tehran says killed ‌more than 175 people including children and teachers on the first day of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

“The players are holding the school bags close ‌to their heart in remembrance of the 165 ​girls the Americans killed in an Iranian school,” a media official for the ⁠Iranian team told Reuters. U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible but ‌have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation.

U.S. President ‌Donald Trump said earlier this month that while Iran’s national ​team were welcome to play in the U.S., it might not be appropriate for ⁠their “life and safety.”

Iran’s football federation said it is in ⁠discussions with soccer’s world governing body FIFA about moving its World Cup matches to ‌Mexico from the U.S.

The squad will also play Costa Rica on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) in another friendly ​in Turkey.