Iran allegedly used a Chinese satellite to target US bases, Financial Times reports

According to an investigation by the British newspaper Financial Times, Iran secretly obtained a Chinese spy satellite that allowed it to monitor and target American military bases in the Middle East during the ongoing conflict. The report is based on leaked Iranian military documents. Irish Times ↗

The satellite, designated TEE-01B, was according to the report built and launched into orbit by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force reportedly acquired it in late 2024 through a so-called "in-orbit delivery" model — the satellite is first launched from China and only afterward transferred to a foreign customer. Tom's Hardware ↗

According to available technical data, TEE-01B is capable of capturing images with a resolution of approximately half a meter, which makes it possible to identify aircraft, vehicles, and changes in infrastructure. By comparison, Noor-3, until now the IRGC's most advanced military satellite, reportedly had a resolution of only around five meters, according to Iranian claims. The new satellite thus represents a tenfold improvement. Jerusalem Post ↗

According to the leaked documents, Iranian commanders ordered the satellite to capture detailed images of key American positions both before and after missile and drone attacks. Among the monitored targets were Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan, the area around the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, the airport in Erbil, Iraq, Camp Buehring and Ali Al Salem bases in Kuwait, Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, and Duqm international airport in Oman. Al Arabiya ↗

The Financial Times identifies the Saudi Arabian Prince Sultan base as the key documented case. The satellite captured images of the base on March 13, 14, and 15 — that is, immediately before and after a missile attack. Donald Trump stated that American aircraft were hit during the attack. According to US officials, one service member suffered fatal injuries. US News ↗

According to US intelligence services, TEE-01B is not the only Chinese source of data that Iran uses. According to the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the IRGC also uses data from the Chinese geospatial firm MizarVision, which uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify military objects in commercially available satellite imagery. According to reports, MizarVision published at least six detailed analyses of the Prince Sultan base back in February, in which it identified Patriot batteries, aircraft parking areas, hardened shelters, and dozens of aircraft. Army Recognition ↗

According to the documents, the TEE-01B agreement also included access to commercial ground stations operated by the Beijing-based company Emposat, which provides satellite control services with a global network. The US Congressional committee on China identified Emposat as a company with close ties to the People's Liberation Army Air Force, including personnel links to key satellite launch headquarters. Defence Security Asia ↗


Video: Times of India (8:30) — an overview of satellite cooperation between Iran and China according to the Financial Times report.

Beijing firmly denies the allegations. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told the Financial Times: "We firmly reject the spread of speculative and insinuating disinformation against China by relevant parties." He added that China "maintains an objective and impartial stance and is making efforts to support peace talks." Reuters / Investing.com ↗

The report comes at a time when Trump is escalating pressure on both countries. Over the weekend, the American president warned Beijing of "big trouble" if it supplies air defense systems to Iran. According to his own account, he sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, to which Xi replied that China does not supply weapons to Iran. Reuters also notes that the Financial Times report has not been independently confirmed. SITA ↗

If the claims are confirmed, the disclosure would suggest a deeper military-technological connection between Tehran and Beijing than has been publicly known so far. Moreover, the "in-orbit delivery" model raises questions about the control of Chinese space exports — and about whether similar satellites may have been supplied to other states as well.