Iran ‘used Chinese spy satellite’ to target US bases; Beijing denies FT report
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The satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14 and 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TEHRAN - Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite, giving the Islamic republic a new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war, the Financial Times reported on April 15.
The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by Chinese company Earth Eye, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from China, the report said, citing leaked Iranian military documents. The Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military sites, FT said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis.
The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations, the newspaper said.
As part of the deal, the IRGC received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based provider of satellite control and data services with a network extending across Asia, Latin America and other regions, according to the report.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied the report on April 15, calling it untrue. “Recently, some forces have been keen on fabricating rumours and maliciously associating them with China,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
“China firmly opposes this kind of practice driven by ulterior motives.”
The White House, Central Intelligence Agency, Pentagon, China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and Defence Ministry, Earth Eye and Emposat did not immediately respond to requests by Reuters for comment.
The FT said the White House did not comment on the relationship between Emposat and the IRGC, but a spokesman referred to comments US President Donald Trump made at the weekend when he warned that China would face “big problems” if it provided Iran with air defence systems.
When asked about the matter, the Chinese embassy in Washington told the FT: “We firmly oppose relevant parties spreading speculative and insinuative disinformation against China.”
The satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14 and 15, FT said.
On March 14, US President Donald Trump confirmed US planes at the base had been hit.
According to the report, the satellite also monitored Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and locations close to the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport, Iraq, around the time of IRGC-claimed attacks on facilities in those areas. REUTERS
