Overview
- The Financial Times, which published its investigation Wednesday, said leaked Iranian military files show the IRGC secretly took control of the Chinese-built TEE-01B satellite in late 2024.
- The documents describe an in-orbit transfer worth about Rmb250 million in September 2024 and access to Emposat ground stations that let Iran task the satellite and receive data from abroad.
- Time-stamped logs and images place the satellite over Prince Sultan Air Base on March 13–15, overlapping with the March 14 strike that President Donald Trump said damaged five U.S. refueling planes, and over sites in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq.
- Experts cited in coverage say TEE-01B’s roughly half-metre imagery allows clear views of aircraft and small changes at bases, a major upgrade over Iran’s Noor-3 satellite.
- China’s foreign ministry calls the claims fabricated, and Reuters reports the findings have not been independently verified by governments or the companies named.