Brussels: At the request of the United States, an exceptional European decision was made to delay the broadcasting of satellite images of the Gulf region. The European Union has agreed to a US request to delay the release of Copernicus satellite imagery covering the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz for 24 hours, in an exceptional move that departs from the program’s open data policy.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, this unusual step represents a temporary departure from the program’s open and free data policy. The EU agreed to postpone the release of satellite imagery from the Copernicus program covering the Gulf region, including the Gulf of Oman and the shipping lanes leading to the Strait of Hormuz, for 24 hours. The decision, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, includes data and images from the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 systems. It followed a US request submitted on May 26 to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, before being approved by the relevant EU bodies and subsequently adopted.

The Council of the European Union stated that the delay is “necessary” to ensure that the images are not used by any third party, whether states or non-state actors, in a way that could threaten the interests of the EU, its member states, or their allies in the region. The decision coincides with similar tightening of restrictions by private space and navigation companies on publishing images of the region, amid escalating military tensions related to the Iranian issue and the Strait of Hormuz.