Did China give Iran satellite pics before Jordan strike? Trump brushes off report

Chinese entities supplied Iran with high-quality satellite imagery of a US Air Force base in Jordan before and after Tehran's July 17 ballistic missile attack that killed three American troops, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials familiar with the matter.US officials said on Saturday that Washington linked the satellite imagery to the strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, calling it the clearest evidence yet that Chinese support for Iran during the conflict contributed to the deaths of US troops. However, they stopped short of accusing Beijing of directly participating in the attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.The findings could further strain ties between Washington and Beijing ahead of a planned September 24 White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Senior US officials raised the issue of the imagery with their Chinese counterparts, but Beijing rejected the allegation and asked Washington to provide evidence, sources told The Wall Street Journal. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington told the newspaper that cooperation between Beijing and Tehran was consistent with international law and accused unnamed critics of "maliciously linking and smearing other countries".The spokesperson did not directly respond to the allegation that Chinese entities provided satellite imagery linked to the July 17 strike, The Wall Street Journal reported. Beijing has repeatedly denied that Chinese companies supplied Iran with satellite imagery to help target US forces, according to the officials cited by the newspaper.The July 17 Iranian ballistic missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base killed three US service members and wounded four others.The three killed were First Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas; and Sgt Angel S Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.The July 17 attack was one of three missile strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base within 24 hours. Iranian ballistic missiles struck a housing area where US troops were sleeping, while Iran also targeted manned and unmanned aircraft at the base, according to US officials cited by the Journal.They were the first US military fatalities in the Iran war since a 60-day ceasefire agreed in April and the deaths marked a major escalation in the West Asia conflict. The strike came after Washington and Tehran suspended an interim ceasefire agreement in June.Evidence of Iran's use of Chinese technology had emerged months before the deadly attack. The Financial Times reported in April that Iran was using a Chinese-built and launched spy satellite purchased by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force from Earth Eye Co. in late 2024.The Trump administration had already raised concerns over Chinese satellite support to Iran before the deadly attack.In May, Washington sanctioned three China-based satellite companies, accusing them of providing imagery that could enable Iran's military operations and threaten US and partner personnel. The sanctions came amid US warnings that Chinese companies were helping Tehran obtain satellite imagery that could be used to target American forces, claims denied by Beijing.Iran again targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on September 10, with the latest strike reportedly damaging several US aircraft. Trump, however, denied that any US planes were damaged.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 07:38 IST