One of Iran's few successful strikes in Operation Epic Fury was the attack by missile and drone on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, which damaged several American aircraft, injured 15 American service members, two seriously, and infuriated the Saudis.
On Wednesday, we learned that the Iranians, before launching the attack, may have had the benefit of satellite intel from a Chinese spy satellite.
Iran secretly got its hands on a Chinese spy satellite to target American bases in the Middle East during the war, leaked military documents revealed.
Following its launch to space in 2024, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had acquired Beijing’s TEE-01B satellite, tasking it to monitor key US military sites in the region, the Financial Times reported.
Time-stamped records show some of the images were taken last month before and after Iranian drone and missile attacks on those very bases.
The logs indicate that the satellite, which was built by the Earth Eye Chinese company, had taken images of the Prince Sultan Air Base, in Saudi Arabia, on March 13, 14, and 15.
It was during that same timespan that Iran struck the American base, damaging five US Air Force refueling planes.
If these reports are accurate, then President Trump and Chairman Xi should have something new to talk about when President Trump visits Beijing next month.
Again, if these reports are accurate, Iran may have had access to the Chinese spy bird thanks to a long-standing agreement between Tehran and Beijing.
The TEE-01B, which launched on June, 6, 2024, was intended to be used for agriculture, emergency management and municipal transportation purposes, according to Earth Eye Co.’s website.
The IRGC, however, took control over the satellite in September 2024 after forking over about $36 million, the (Financial Time) reported.
Earthy Eye confirmed that it carried out an “in-orbit” transfer of the satellite to a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a coalition that Iran joined back in 2021.
Under the agreement, the IRGC receives access to ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite control and data services provider with networks extending across Asia and Latin America
President Trump has stated, with a pleased expression, that China has promised not to supply any arms, presumably including air-defense systems, to Iran while the conflict is still underway. China's word on this is probably at least as good as Tehran's word on, well, anything.
Read More: Iran Announces Blockade of Its Own Petrochemical Industry
Now, to be fair to China, we have to note that Iran's use of TEE-01B dates back to 2024 and was not initiated during Operation Epic Fury. China, Russia, and Iran have all been involved in a troika of nastiness for quite a few years, after all, and this would be far from the first time either larger country had favored Iran with technology that the mullahs can't obtain or develop on their own. And, in this instance, there's not much the United States can do about it; we can't really shoot down a Chinese satellite, not without making things considerably more complicated than they already are.
Then, there's this:
Neither Earth Eye Co. nor Emposat have responded publicly to the deal with Iran.
You don't say.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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