When Satellite Data Becomes a Weapon

The article describes how satellite imagery and related infrastructure in the Gulf have become contested amid US–Israel–Iran tensions: an AI-manipulated image was used in disinformation, commercial providers have delayed imagery (citing safety/tactical concerns), and state-backed and allied satellite access (including Chinese and Russian cooperation with Iran) is shifting who can see and verify events—eroding journalists' and open-source investigators' ability to fact-check and challenge narratives.