Iran secretly used a Chinese spy satellite, giving Tehran a new ability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
A report citing leaked Iranian military documents stated that the Revolutionary Guard's air force obtained the TEE-01B satellite from China, which was built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye, in late 2024, after its launch into space.
The newspaper reported, based on dated coordinates, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis, that Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor key US military sites . The Financial Times noted that the images were taken in March, both before and after the drone and missile strikes on those sites.
There has been no comment yet from the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense (Pentagon), the Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, EarthEye, and Imposat, a Beijing-based company that provides satellite control and data services and whose network spans Asia, Latin America, and other regions.
The report indicated that, as part of the deal, the Revolutionary Guard gained access to commercial ground stations operated by Imbusat.
The Financial Times reported that the satellite captured images of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14 and 15.
On March 14, US President Donald Trump confirmed that US aircraft at the base had been attacked.
The report stated that the satellite also monitored Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, sites near the US Fifth Fleet base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil Airport in Iraq, coinciding with attacks claimed by the Revolutionary Guard on facilities in those areas.
Tags:
america
