FT: Iran used Chinese spy satellite to track US military bases in Middle East

Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite that enabled it to monitor US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war, according to the Financial Times.

Surveillance operations covered sites in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, including US military installations and infrastructure facilities, the report says, citing leaked Iranian military documents.

The satellite, known as TEE-01B, was reportedly acquired by the Aerospace Forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in late 2024 after being launched from China.

“This satellite is clearly being used for military purposes, as it is being run by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force and not Iran’s civilian space programme,” said Nicole Grajewski, an Iran expert at Paris Dauphine University.

According to the leaked data, including coordinates, timestamps, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis, the Iranian command used the system to track key US military installations.

Images were reportedly taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on some of the targets.

“Iran really needs this foreign-provided capability during this war, as it allows the IRGC to identify targets ahead of time and check the success of its strikes,” Grajewski added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov