Overview
- The Financial Times report, published Wednesday, says leaked Iranian military files show the IRGC bought the Chinese‑built TEE‑01B imaging satellite in late 2024.
- The documents describe orders to monitor U.S. military sites and include time‑stamped coordinates, satellite pictures, and orbital analyses around March drone and missile strikes.
- Imagery cited in the report shows passes over Prince Sultan Air Base on March 13–15 near the date U.S. aircraft there were reported damaged, with other taskings over bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq.
- The reporting says Iran gained access to Emposat’s commercial ground stations and software to task the satellite and downlink data, with analysts noting the firm runs a large global antenna network.
- The Chinese foreign ministry called the article unfounded, while the White House, CIA, Pentagon, Earth Eye Co, and Emposat declined to comment as Western services examine Chinese commercial space ties.