China and Iran are in the news: Did Tehran use Beijing's spy satellite to attack US bases?

After the talks in Pakistan failed, the focus turned to a ceasefire. A new report says that the Iranians used a Chinese spy satellite to target US military bases in the Middle East. The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) got the satellite in 2024, though.

The report says that

The satellite was called "TEE-01B," and it was made by China's Earth Eye Co. It offered "in-orbit delivery," which is a part of the Chinese model for sending spacecraft to customers in other countries after they reach orbit.

The satellite was used to keep an eye on important US military bases and sites in the area. The report said that the Chinese and Iranians had an agreement that allowed the IRGC to use commercial ground stations run by Emposat, a company based in China that controls satellites.

The satellite took pictures of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14, and 15, which Iran attacked at the same time. It also kept an eye on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and places near the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport in Iraq.

said the report.

Camp Buehring and Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait, the Camp Lemonnier US military base in Djibouti, and Duqm International Airport in Oman were also tracked.

The satellite can take pictures and videos at a resolution of about half a meter, which would let experts tell what kind of plane or car it is and what changes have been made to infrastructure. The IRGC's most advanced satellite before the "TEE-01B" was thought to be the "Noor-3," which could take pictures at a resolution of about five meters.

"It's clear that this satellite is being used for military purposes because the IRGC's Aerospace Force runs it, not Iran's civilian space program."

said Nicole Grajewski, who knows a lot about Iran. "Iran really needs this foreign-provided capability during this war because it helps the IRGC find targets ahead of time and check how well its strikes are working."

Various reports have claimed that China has been assisting Iran since the war started on February 28. Last week,

The report also said that China might give Iran more weapons, like shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems, while it talks with the US in Pakistan. against this move, saying it will only make things worse for Beijing.

"China is going to have big problems if it does that, okay?" Trump, who is getting ready to go to Beijing next month to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said last week when asked about

report.

China has denied that it is helping Iran in the Middle East conflict, but it is important to remember that Beijing has long backed Tehran's ballistic missile program.