A report alleges Iran’s IRGC secretly used a Chinese-built satellite to monitor US military bases in the Middle East. Acquired via an “in-orbit delivery,” the satellite provided high-resolution imagery, enhancing Tehran’s surveillance and strike assessment capabilities.
Iran secretly used a Chinese-built surveillance satellite to monitor American military installations across the Middle East during its recent confrontation with the United States, according to a new report that has triggered fresh scrutiny over China’s role in the region’s growing security crisis. The satellite, identified as TEE-01B, was reportedly acquired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after it had already been launched into orbit by Chinese aerospace company Earth Eye Co.
The report says the satellite gave Iranian military planners a new capability to observe key US bases before and after missile and drone strikes. The system allegedly captured images of several strategic American facilities, including Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, areas near the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and military-linked sites in Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Djibouti.
According to the report, the satellite was transferred under an “in-orbit delivery” model, in which a spacecraft launched in China is handed over to a foreign buyer only after reaching space. Iranian commanders then reportedly tasked the satellite with monitoring military movement across the Gulf. The TEE-01B satellite is believed to provide high-resolution imagery, helping Tehran assess the impact of strikes and track future targets with greater precision than before.
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As part of the arrangement, Iran was also said to have received access to a wider network of commercial ground stations operated by Beijing-based satellite services provider Emposat. This gave Iranian operators the ability to control imaging schedules and quickly receive surveillance data from multiple locations.
One former Western intelligence official quoted in the report said, “There is no way that any Chinese company could do something like launch a satellite without somebody in the administration giving it the go-ahead.” The official added, “I think it’s been very clear for some time that China has been helping the Iranians with intelligence, but trying to keep the hand of government hidden.”
China has repeatedly denied supplying military assistance to Iran, but the report is likely to intensify concerns in Washington and Gulf capitals about Beijing’s expanding influence in regional conflicts. Analysts say the use of a commercially transferred satellite blurs the line between civilian technology and military support, especially at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States remain dangerously high.
The revelation could further complicate already fragile diplomacy in the region, as intelligence-sharing and space-based surveillance emerge as a new front in the broader geopolitical contest between major powers in the Middle East.
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