The Wire - March 10, 2026

//The Wire//2300Z March 10, 2026//
 //ROUTINE//
 //BLUF: WAR CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST AS DRONE ATTACKS CONTINUE. SHIPS BEGIN ATTEMPTING TO RUN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID IRANIAN TARGETING EFFORTS. US CONSULATE IN TORONTO TARGETED IN SMALL ARMS ATTACK.//

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 -International Events-

Middle East: The Planet satellite imagery company has announced an extension of their holding of satellite imagery throughout the Middle East. Planet had previously instituted a 96-hour hold on all imagery of American installations in the region, for the Operational Security (OPSEC) reasons of preventing Iranians from using up-to-date satellite imagery in their targeting efforts. As of this morning, Planet has extended this delay to two weeks, with all imagery of non-Iranian terrain being withheld for 14 days from all customers.

Strait of Hormuz: The Strait remains semi-officially closed, as most commercial vessels refuse to accept the risk of trying to run the gauntlet. Iranian forces continue to strike cargo vessels, but some vessels are making the attempt to transit the Strait, amid these threats. This morning, one commercial vessel was reportedly struck by a drone (or had a near-miss), highlighting the risks for commercial shipping.

Analyst Comment: Interestingly enough, some vessels have pulled a Leeroy Jenkins, and plowed through the Strait over the past few days with their transponders off, hoping for the best. Other vessels have also tried the old standby trick that was discovered during the Houthi targeting in the Red Sea last year...they're changing their AIS transponder data to claim affiliation with China, in hopes of being allowed free passage. This has worked for a couple of dozen vessels so far, but the targeting of shipping in the Persian Gulf is still too random to draw a conclusion as to what's actually being targeted by the Iranians.

Korean Peninsula: South Korean officials have voiced concern regarding the reallocation of American strategic resources from the region. This morning, the South Korean media group Yonhap published photos of Americans disassembling a THAAD battery, which is being relocated to the Middle East to replace at least one of the sites that was damaged/destroyed by Iranian targeting efforts.

Canada: This morning an active shooter was reported at the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto. Toronto Police state that a white Honda CRV approached the facility, stopping at the main entrance. Two suspects exited the vehicle and fired shots from handguns at the Consulate, before egressing from the scene. Multiple shell casings were recovered from the shooting site, and the shooters remain at large.

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Analyst Comments: National security is of course a higher priority than providing up-to-date satellite imagery of the Middle East for the civilian world; as unfortunate as it is, censorship is a critical part of warfare and there's absolutely nothing that can be done about it. However, the timing and nature of this censorship occurring now, is quite interesting. As a reminder, the Chinese have provided extremely detailed imagery of American equipment losses since the start of the war via their own satellite networks, so the Iranians don't exactly need American satellites at all.

This seemingly unimportant satellite imagery delay can also serve as an indicator for the expected timeline of the war...requesting American satellite companies to intentionally withhold their imagery from the public for two full weeks is not something that is done if the war is coming to a close. Right now, a lot of rhetoric is flying concerning the potential end of the conflict, with analysis of President Trump's remarks on the war focusing on how long the war might last, or what might happen over the next few days/weeks. At the moment, we cannot make decisions based on this rhetoric, as it changes by the hour a