In late 2024, Iran secretly purchased a Chinese spy satellite to monitor and attack American military bases in the Middle East. This was reported by UNN with reference to a Financial Times investigation.
Details
According to the investigation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps acquired the TEE-01B satellite. This happened after the Chinese company Earth Eye Co launched the satellite into space.
This move allowed the IRGC to access commercial ground stations of the Chinese company Emposat, which cover countries in Asia, Latin America, and other continents.
The TEE-01B satellite monitored the following US and allied facilities:
- Camp Buehring base and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait;
- US military base Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti;
- Duqm International Airport in Oman;
- Khor Fakkan container port;
- power plant in the UAE;
- Alba aluminum plant in Bahrain.
China's reaction
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian called reports of the satellite sale to Iran "fabricated". He added that if the US continues to raise tariffs on China based on these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures.
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