Iran used Chinese spy satellite to attack US bases in Gulf: Report

A Financial Times investigation reveals Iran used a Chinese spy satellite to surveil and target US military installations across the Middle East, marking a significant shift in regional intelligence capabilities. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Iran used Chinese spy satellite to attack US bases in Gulf: Report

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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used a sophisticated Chinese spy satellite to monitor and target US military bases in the Middle East for missile and drone strikes, according to a report by The Financial Times published on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The investigation, based on time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis, details how the IRGC's Aerospace Force employed the TEE-01B satellite to surveil key facilities in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq in March, both before and after they were attacked. The satellite was acquired from China in late 2024 in a deal valued at approximately $36.6 million and denominated in Chinese renminbi. The surveillance provided Iran with unprecedented, high-resolution intelligence on American force posture. Logs obtained by the Financial Times show the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia was monitored on March 13, 14, and 15. On March 15, President Donald Trump confirmed US warplanes at that base had been hit. The satellite's gaze also fell on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, areas near the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and Erbil airport in Iraq. This capability reportedly prompted a significant US operational shift, with Washington successfully lobbying Saudi Arabia to make the more distant King Fahd Air Base in Taif available, a move officials suggested indicated a potential US pullback from more exposed positions in the Gulf. The TEE-01B satellite represents a quantum leap in Iran's indigenous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. With an imaging resolution of half a meter, it is comparable to commercially available Western satellites and far surpasses the IRGC's most advanced previous military satellite, the Noor-3, which had a resolution of about five meters. This technological boost directly challenges a core pillar of US military dominance in the region, which has long relied on superior intelligence and technology. The satellite's manufacturer, Earth Eye, is a private Chinese firm that advertises ties to universities known to collaborate with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Furthermore, Emposat, the company providing the...

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Categoria: cronaca