Leaked military documents have uncovered that Iran covertly obtained a Chinese spy satellite to surveil American military installations in the Middle East amidst ongoing conflict.
According to a report by the Financial Times, after the satellite’s launch into orbit in 2024, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) secured access to China’s TEE-01B satellite, using it to keep a close eye on strategic U.S. military locations in the area.
The records, marked with timestamps, reveal that the satellite captured images both before and after Iran executed drone and missile strikes on these bases just last month.
Detailed logs show that the satellite, engineered by the Chinese firm Earth Eye, photographed the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14, and 15.
Coincidentally, during this period, Iran launched an attack on the American base, resulting in damage to five U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft.
Additionally, the satellite captured images of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, along with several sites near the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Bahrain and Iraq, which also faced assaults from the IRGC.
“This satellite is clearly being used for military purposes, as it is being run by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force and not Iran’s civilian space program,” Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Iran at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, told the FT.
“Iran really needs this foreign-provided capability during this war, as it allows the IRGC to identify targets ahead of time and check the success of its strikes,” she added.
The TEE-01B, which launched on June, 6, 2024, was intended to be used for agriculture, emergency management and municipal transportation purposes, according to Earth Eye Co.’s website.
The IRGC, however, took control over the satellite in September 2024 after forking over about $36 million, the FT reported.
Earthy Eye confirmed that it carried out an “in-orbit” transfer of the satellite to a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a coalition that Iran joined back in 2021.
Under the agreement, the IRGC receives access to ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite control and data services provider with networks extending across Asia and Latin America.
Neither Earth Eye Co. nor Emposat have responded publicly to the deal with Iran.
Iran’s use of the Chinese spy satellite comes as concerns grow over China’s willingness to help Iran, with Beijing reportedly preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Tehran in the coming weeks.
Trump said Wednesday that China has agreed not to arm Tehran, saying that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached an understanding prior to their summit scheduled next month.
“They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
