China12 September, 20262 min read
Iran Used Chinese Satellite Imagery Before July 17 Attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base
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Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery from Chinese sources before the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base attack. US officials link Chinese imagery to Iran's July 17 strike that killed three soldiers.
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Satellite imagery link alleged
U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery from Chinese sources before and after the July 17 attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in northeastern Jordan, where ballistic missiles struck a housing area housing U.S. troops. The Wall Street Journal report described the finding as the clearest evidence so far of Chinese support for Iran during the conflict, while also saying U.S. officials declined to identify the Chinese entities that allegedly supplied the imagery and did not allege direct involvement by the Chinese government.
The attack killed three American soldiers and wounded four others, who were medically evacuated, and U.S. officials also said Iran targeted manned and unmanned aircraft at the base. Global Times reported that a Chinese military affairs expert, Song Zhongping, said the attempt to link Chinese entities to the attack was flimsy, arguing that high-resolution satellite images of specific locations are readily available commercially, including from companies in the US and some European countries.
Beijing denies, Rubio dodges
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not address the specific allegations, and Global Times quoted embassy spokesperson Liu Chang saying unnamed critics were "maliciously linking and smearing other countries" by exploiting the conflict.
In the same dispute, the Wall Street Journal reported that senior U.S. officials raised the imagery linked to the July 17 attack with Chinese counterparts, who rejected the allegations and demanded proof.
The Times of India reported that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet on September 24, with U.S. officials seeking to avoid a public confrontation that could jeopardise the summit.
Days after the July 17 strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked whether China was providing Iran with targeting information, and he declined to answer directly, saying only that "nothing China has done has in any way changed the course of the conflict."
Sanctions and summit pressure
The Trump administration imposed sanctions in May on Chinese companies including Mizart Vision, Earth Eye and Chang Guang, alleging that supplying satellite imagery to Iran "threatens American and partner personnel," according to the Wall Street Journal as cited by Global Times. Global Times also reported that when asked on August 25 about new U.S. sanctions related to Iran targeting entities, individuals and vessels, including on some Chinese firms, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, "China's cooperation with Iran is conducted within the framework of international law, thus should not be disrupted."
The Times of India said the imagery finding comes at a sensitive moment for Washington and Beijing ahead of the September 24 Trump-Xi meeting, while U.S. officials sought to avoid public friction that could jeopardise the summit. In the reporting, U.S. officials and analysts described the satellite imagery as one part of Iran’s intelligence picture, with Iran also relying on its own satellite capabilities and access to information from human sources and Russian satellite systems, and the dispute added another security dimension to the planned meeting.