US is pissed at China helping Iran in targeting, but not able to do anything about it.
US links Chinese satellite imagery to Iranian strike that killed three troops
Before Iran carried out its attack that killed three U.S. troops in July, Tehran acquired high-resolution satellite images of the base in Jordan from Chinese entities, according to U.S. officials familiar with details of the incident.
It is the clearest evidence so far that Chinese support for Iran during the war has had lethal consequences for U.S. forces, according to the officials, who say the U.S. has connected the imagery to the attack.
The U.S. officials declined to identify the Chinese entities that supplied the imagery to Iran and didn’t allege direct involvement by Beijing. Tehran procured the images both before and after the attack.
But the finding could deepen U.S.-China tensions ahead of the planned summit between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sept. 24, after months of frustration with Beijing’s rejection of U.S. warnings about Chinese companies providing imagery to Iran.
Senior U.S. officials raised the imagery linked to the July 17 attack with their Chinese counterparts, who pushed back and demanded proof, the U.S. officials said. China has repeatedly dismissed Washington’s concerns, refusing to acknowledge that any Chinese companies are engaged in such activity, the officials said.
The strikes on the base came after senior Trump officials spent months warning their Chinese counterparts that Chinese companies were providing satellite imagery Iran could use to target U.S. personnel and assets in the region, officials say. The Trump administration sanctioned several Chinese companies in May, saying that supplying satellite imagery to Iran “threatens American and partner personnel.”
Within three days of the July attack, Iran released high-resolution images showing damage to three separate areas of the base. Publicly available lower-resolution satellite imagery analyzed by The Wall Street Journal showed damage to more than 20 structures across the three areas of the base.
Trump has told his team that it is a priority for him to maintain good relations with China and Xi in particular. Senior U.S. officials have responded by trying to avoid public confrontations with Beijing that could overshadow or derail plans for the summit. A White House official said no assistance Iran was receiving from outside actors had enhanced its ability to attack the United States, without addressing the finding.
Publicly, senior Trump officials have played down the impact of any Chinese assistance to Iran. Days after the July 17 attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Asked afterward if the Chinese were providing Iran with targeting information, he declined to answer directly, saying “nothing that China has done has in any way changed the trajectory of the conflict.”
Earlier in the war, U.S. attacks on Iranian radar, satellites and other equipment degraded the regime’s ability to see the battlefield. Iran often hit locations of lesser military significance where nothing significant was located—an indication that Iran didn’t have a clear picture of U.S. bases.
However, the targeting appeared to improve over the summer, officials say.
Fresh, high-resolution images from Chinese sources could reveal recent changes at a base and help Iran “select the most impactful targets in a timely manner,” said Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst who specialized in Iran’s military and weapons. Post-strike imagery could help Iran assess the effectiveness of the strikes and decide whether and where to attack again.
The imagery likely would have been one of several intelligence streams used by Iran, analysts and former officials say. Iran’s military also draws from its own satellites and human sources, as well as
intelligence and imagery from Russia, according to U.S. officials.
The imagery is part of a broader flow of Chinese technology and data used by Iran, including navigation services, and components used in drones and missiles. Taken together, it “starts to look pretty substantial” in improving Iran’s long-range strike capabilities, says Lamson.
Unlike some of the other intelligence available to Iran, Chinese technology and imagery are areas Washington can try to disrupt through sanctions and pressure Beijing, officials say.
U.S. officials are also concerned that China could be helping Iran stalk American naval assets as well, according to people familiar with the matter. In recent days, Iran has fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and other warships. While Central Command said all the attacks failed, officials described some as
close calls and said Iran’s ability to target moving ships appeared to be improving.
China’s satellite industry often blurs the line between commercial and state companies, U.S. officials and analysts say, because even ostensibly private companies operate under extensive government oversight, and many have links to the government or the Chinese Communist Party.
In May, the Trump administration sanctioned three Chinese companies—MizarVision, Earth Eye and Chang Guang—that it said were providing, collecting or publishing imagery that Iran could use to target U.S. forces. State Department officials
last year accused Chang Guang of providing satellite imagery that directly supported attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, calling the support “unacceptable.”
The administration has briefed lawmakers on the intelligence committees in recent weeks on the support both Russia and China are providing to Iran, according to congressional officials.
