EU agrees to delay Copernicus satellite images over Gulf after US request

The European Union has agreed to a US request to delay the release of Copernicus satellite images over the Gulf by 24 hours, according to a decision published in the EU's official journal.

The request covered data from the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites over the Gulf. US officials made the request to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on May 26.

In a decision dated July 13, the EU Council said the delay was necessary to prevent the images from being used by any state or non-state actor in a way that could threaten the interests of the European Union, its member states or their allies in the region.

The covered area is the Gulf region, where the source text says strikes are taking place and where the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iran. The source text says the decision comes after the United States resumed attacks on Iran on July 7, with Tehran and Washington contesting control of the Strait of Hormuz.