Chinese Companies Sent Iran Satellite Photos of a Jordanian Air Base Before and After the Strike That Killed Three U.S. Soldiers, WSJ Reports

WASHINGTON — Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan both before and after the July 17 Iranian missile strike that killed three U.S. Army soldiers there, The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday, citing U.S. officials. The Journal described the finding as the clearest indication so far that Chinese assistance to Tehran during the war has had lethal consequences for American service members.

The July 17 attack was one of three Iranian missile strikes on the base in northeastern Jordan within 24 hours. It killed 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, wounded four other soldiers badly enough to require evacuation, and damaged more than 20 structures. Afterward, Iran published detailed post-strike images showing destruction across three sections of the facility, imagery that analysts noted was more comprehensive than anything available from commercial satellite providers.

The U.S. officials who spoke to the Journal did not name the Chinese companies involved and did not accuse the Chinese government of ordering or authorizing the transfer. They said the matter has been raised with Chinese counterparts. According to the report, Chinese officials asked for proof that satellite imagery had been handed over and refused to acknowledge that Chinese companies had supplied Tehran with images. A Chinese Embassy spokesperson, Liu Chang, said unnamed parties were "maliciously linking and smearing other countries."

The Trump administration has been warning Beijing about this for months. In May, the administration sanctioned three China-based satellite companies, MizarVision, Earth Eye and Chang Guang, for facilitating Iranian military activities, alleging they supplied imagery that could be used against U.S. forces. The State Department had earlier accused Chang Guang of providing imagery that supported attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia on shipping.

The timing is awkward for both governments. President Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24, a meeting U.S. officials told the Journal the imagery could come up in. Trump said this week he would be "OK" with Chinese automakers building cars in the United States. Now the same summit will have to accommodate a claim that Chinese-sourced intelligence helped kill American soldiers.

Analysts cautioned that the Chinese imagery was likely one input among several feeding Iranian targeting, alongside Russian support, Iran's own satellites and human sources on the ground. China buys large quantities of Iranian oil and has been Tehran's most important diplomatic partner throughout the war, which began February 28. It has never publicly acknowledged supplying Iran with military-grade intelligence.