China has dismissed a Financial Times report as “fabricated”, rejecting claims that Beijing provided covert satellite support to Iran enabling it to target US military bases across the Middle East during the ongoing conflict.
The report claims Iran secretly acquired a Chinese-made spy satellite in late 2024, which it has used to monitor and strike US military installations across the region.
The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force after it was launched into space from China, the report said, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military sites, the newspaper said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations, the Financial Times said.
As part of the deal, the IRGC received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based provider of satellite control and data services with a network extending across Asia, Latin America and other regions, according to the report.
Military vehicles of US soldiers are seen at the al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq, January 13, 2020. — Reuters
Rejecting the claims, the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters: “Recently, some forces have been keen on fabricating rumours and maliciously associating them with China.”
“China firmly opposes this kind of practice driven by ulterior motives,” read the statement.
