Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite images of an air base in Jordan before and after a deadly missile strike that killed three US service members, according to a report.
The US has “connected” the high-resolution satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base to Iran’s July 17 ballistic missile attack on the facility, US officials told the Wall Street Journal.
The officials declined to identify the Chinese companies that allegedly provided the images to Iran and didn’t accuse the Chinese government of direct involvement.
The missile attack, which targeted a housing area on the base, killed Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York; First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii; and Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas.
Four other US service members were wounded.
Chinese officials reportedly demanded proof and refused to acknowledge that Chinese companies may be helping Iran when senior US officials have brought up the satellite imagery linked to the July 17 attack, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Financial Times reported in April that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) secretly acquired Beijing’s TEE-01B spy satellite in September 2024 for about $36 million, and has used it to monitor key US military sites in the Middle East.
Under the agreement, the IRGC receives access to ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite control and data services provider, according to the outlet.
It’s unclear if TEE-01B and Emposat are the Chinese entities that US officials believe Iran used to carry out the July 17 missile attack.
President Trump and top administration officials have publicly downplayed the impact possible foreign assistance has had on the Iran war.
“I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” Trump said in July, amid reports both Russia and China have been helping Tehran.
“And if they have, it has been very unimpactful,” the president added.
That same month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters: “Nothing that anyone’s doing to help Iran, is in any way increasing their ability to target Americans.”
The Wall Street Journal’s report comes less than two weeks before Chinese leader Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House and be honored at a state dinner.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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