Iran ‘Secretly' Used Chinese Spy Satellite To Track US Bases During West Asia Conflict

In a major development that underscores the shifting contours of modern warfare, Iran reportedly acquired a Chinese spy satellite in late 2024, enabling its military to precisely monitor American bases across the Middle East during the recent conflict.

According to a Financial Times investigation published Wednesday, leaked Iranian military documents reveal that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gained control of the TEE-01B satellite - built and launched by China's Earth Eye Co - shortly after its deployment into orbit.

The IRGC's Aerospace Force then directed the satellite to train its lens on key US military installations, the report said, citing time-stamped coordinates, orbital data, and imagery. Notably, images were captured in March, both before and after Iranian drone and missile strikes on those locations.

As part of the clandestine arrangement, Tehran received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite control and data services provider with a sprawling network across Asia and Latin America.

Among the sites monitored: Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia - where, on March 14, US President Donald Trump confirmed American aircraft had been hit. The satellite also tracked the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, areas near the US Fifth Fleet's Bahrain headquarters in Manama, and Erbil airport in Iraq, around the time of IRGC-claimed attacks.

Neither the White House, Pentagon, nor Chinese foreign and defence ministries responded to requests for comment. However, Beijing's Washington embassy told the FT: "We firmly oppose relevant parties spreading speculative and insinuative disinformation against China." The White House, while declining to address the Emposat-IRGC link, echoed Trump's weekend warning that China would face "big problems" if it supplied air defence systems to Iran.

The revelation comes as Iran, despite suffering major battlefield setbacks against US-Israeli forces, has showcased resilience and disruptive regional power through precision strikes and economic leverage. The conflict, which escalated sharply since June 2025, saw intense US-Israel offensives from late February 2026. A fragile two-week ceasefire took effect on April 8, 2026, though both sides have since reported repeated violations.

With inputs from Reuters