European Union grants US request to restrict satellite images of Iran War region
European Union grants US request to restrict satellite images of Iran War region
欧盟应美国要求，限制伊朗战争区域卫星图像发布
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. 欧盟已开始将显示霍尔木兹海峡附近航道的卫星图像发布时间推迟 24 小时。此举是为了响应美国政府早先提出的请求，同时也正值特朗普政府再次加剧与伊朗的战争之际。
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. 欧洲“哥白尼”（Copernicus）地球观测计划在免费开放数据政策上的这一不同寻常的改变，是由《太空新闻》（Space News）披露的。该媒体查阅了欧盟理事会于 7 月 13 日做出的一项决定副本。这项延迟令适用于“哨兵-1”和“哨兵-2”卫星拍摄的图像，涵盖了包括通往争议地区霍尔木兹海峡航道在内的阿曼湾区域。
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. 根据《太空新闻》看到的决定文件，美国政府于 5 月 26 日首次要求欧盟限制“哥白尼”卫星图像。该请求发生在这场战争不稳定的停火期间，停火始于 4 月 8 日，结束于 7 月 8 日；在唐纳德·特朗普总统宣布相关消息后，美军恢复了更大规模的军事打击行动。
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. 自 2 月 28 日美国和以色列袭击伊朗引发战争以来，卫星图像在军事和开源情报方面发挥了重要作用。美军和美国情报机构在战争期间持续利用其卫星星座监测伊朗的活动。与此同时，伊朗则转向使用中国卫星图像，以在打击美军基地和其他目标时获得类似的优势。
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. 商业卫星图像的兴起以及欧洲“哥白尼”卫星图像等免费公共资源的普及，使新闻机构和开源情报研究人员能够为全球冲突提供更高的透明度。然而，在美国政府提出安全风险担忧后，Planet Labs 和 Vantor 等美国卫星公司已在很大程度上限制了与当前伊朗战争相关的图像。
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. 这些限制迫使记者和研究人员更加依赖其他替代方案，例如免费的“哥白尼”卫星图像以及提供商业卫星图像的欧洲公司。例如，独立调查新闻组织“贝尔林猫”（Bellingcat）发布了一款开源工具，利用“哥白尼”哨兵-1 卫星图像来绘制伊朗和海湾地区可能的战争破坏情况。
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. 同样，《纽约时报》和《华盛顿邮报》也依靠“哥白尼”卫星图像来调查伊朗导弹和无人机袭击对美军基地及雷达设施造成的破坏程度。此类报道出现之际，正值特朗普政府领导下的五角大楼越来越不愿意分享有关美军伤亡或战争期间军事资产受损的信息。
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. “哥白尼”卫星图像 24 小时的发布延迟比美国卫星公司的限制措施要宽松一些，仍然允许记者和研究人员监测战争。但这一新限制确实在提供有关当前局势的及时透明度方面增加了额外的阻力。
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. 这场可能扩大的战争已经造成数千人死亡，并因霍尔木兹海峡航道的持续中断引发了全球能源冲击——更不用说它已经让美国耗费了超过 370 亿美元，而国防部长皮特·海格塞斯（Pete Hegseth）还要求追加 700 亿美元的预算。