Spy in the sky: Iran used Chinese satellite to target US military bases
The satellite was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force in late 2024, shortly after its launch from China
- Apr 15, 2026,
- Updated Apr 15, 2026 1:05 PM IST
Iran secretly acquired a Chinese-built spy satellite and used it to track United States military bases across West Asia during the recent conflict, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
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The satellite, identified as TEE-01B and built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force in late 2024, shortly after its launch from China, the report said.
According to the FT, Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military installations. The newspaper said its findings were based on time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis contained in the leaked documents.
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The images were reportedly captured in March, before and after drone and missile strikes on several of the targeted locations.
As part of the arrangement, the IRGC also gained access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite control and data services provider with a network across Asia, Latin America, and other regions, the FT reported.
The satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14, and 15, according to the report.
On March 14, US President Donald Trump confirmed that US planes at the base had been hit.
The FT further said the satellite also monitored Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, as well as sites near the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport in Iraq, around the time of IRGC-claimed attacks on those locations.
On March 27, Reuters reported that twelve US troops were wounded, two of them seriously, in an Iranian military strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier that month, Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Iran had launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the base, but that they did not hit it.
Iran secretly acquired a Chinese-built spy satellite and used it to track United States military bases across West Asia during the recent conflict, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
Don't Miss: 'Iran's sea trade completely halted': US CENTCOM on Hormuz blockade
The satellite, identified as TEE-01B and built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force in late 2024, shortly after its launch from China, the report said.
According to the FT, Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military installations. The newspaper said its findings were based on time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis contained in the leaked documents.
Must Read: War very close to over; Iran wants to make a deal ‘very badly’: Donald Trump
The images were reportedly captured in March, before and after drone and missile strikes on several of the targeted locations.
As part of the arrangement, the IRGC also gained access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite control and data services provider with a network across Asia, Latin America, and other regions, the FT reported.
The satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14, and 15, according to the report.
On March 14, US President Donald Trump confirmed that US planes at the base had been hit.
The FT further said the satellite also monitored Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, as well as sites near the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport in Iraq, around the time of IRGC-claimed attacks on those locations.
On March 27, Reuters reported that twelve US troops were wounded, two of them seriously, in an Iranian military strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier that month, Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Iran had launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the base, but that they did not hit it.