China has denied reports that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite images of a US military base in Jordan before an Iranian missile attack that killed three American soldiers in July.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday described the allegations as “groundless,” insisting that Beijing complies with international obligations and does not provide assistance that could facilitate attacks on other countries.
The denial followed a report by The Wall Street Journal that US officials had linked high-resolution satellite imagery obtained from Chinese entities to the July 17 Iranian missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Three US service members were killed and four others injured in the attack.
According to the report, the imagery was obtained before and after the strike and was considered by US officials to have potentially helped Iran improve the accuracy of its targeting. The US has, however, stopped short of directly accusing the Chinese government of providing the imagery.
China’s response came after US President Donald Trump also played down the allegations. Trump said China spies on the United States and the United States spies on China, while indicating that he did not want the issue to undermine relations with President Xi Jinping.
The US government has previously sanctioned Chinese companies over allegations that they supplied satellite imagery to Iran that could threaten American and allied personnel. Washington has also raised concerns about China’s growing relationship with Tehran amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Beijing maintains that its cooperation with Iran is lawful and has rejected allegations that it assisted the country in targeting US forces.
The dispute comes ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Xi, with the alleged transfer of satellite imagery adding another sensitive issue to already strained US-China relations.
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