Chinese-linked entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of a Jordanian air base before and after a missile attack that left three American service members dead, according to a new report.
US officials told the Wall Street Journal that Washington has “connected” high-resolution images of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base to Iran’s July 17 ballistic missile strike on the site.
The officials did not name the Chinese companies accused of supplying the imagery to Tehran, and they stopped short of alleging that Beijing’s government was directly involved.
The attack hit a housing section of the base and 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 additional US troops were injured in the strike.
When senior American officials raised concerns about the satellite images tied to the July 17 attack, Chinese officials demanded evidence and rejected suggestions that companies from China may have aided Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Financial Times reported in April that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps secretly obtained access to Beijing’s TEE-01B spy satellite in September 2024 in a deal worth roughly $36 million, using it to track major US military positions across the Middle East.
As part of that arrangement, the IRGC was given access to ground stations run by Emposat, a Beijing-based firm specializing in satellite control and data services, according to the report.
It remains unclear whether TEE-01B or Emposat are among the Chinese entities US officials suspect Iran relied on in connection with the July 17 missile attack.
President Trump and senior members of his administration have publicly minimized the role that any possible foreign support may have played in the conflict with Iran.
“I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” Trump said in July, as reports circulated that both Russia and China had been assisting 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.
