An investigation by the Financial Times has revealed that Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite, granting it a powerful new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war. Leaked Iranian military documents show that the satellite, named TEE-01B, was handed over to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force in late 2024, after being launched into space from China. Time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis indicate that Iranian military commanders subsequently used the satellite to monitor key US military bases. The analysis shows that Iran took images via the satellite both before and after drone and missile attacks on those locations in March. The TEE-01B satellite was built and launched by a Chinese company called Earth Eye Co., which claims to offer a little-known export model called “In-Orbit Delivery.” Under this model, spacecraft launched in China are transferred to foreign customers once they reach orbit. As part of the deal, the IRGC was granted access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat. Emposat is a Beijing-based company that provides satellite control and data services and operates a global network of ground stations across Asia, Latin America, and other regions. Logs show that the satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on 13, 14, and 15 March. On 14 March, US President Donald Trump confirmed that US aircraft at the base had been hit. Five US Air Force refuelling aircraft were damaged. While the IRGC claimed responsibility for attacks on facilities in the area, the satellite was also monitoring Muwaqqar Salti Air Base in Jordan, the US Fifth Fleet base in Manama, Bahrain, and areas near Erbil Air Base in Iraq. Other locations under surveillance included Camp Buehring and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, the US military base at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, and Duqm International Airport in Oman. Civilian infrastructure under observation in the Gulf included the Khor Fakkan container port area and the Qidfa power and desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Alba facility in Bahrain — one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters. The TEE-01B is capable of taking images at nearly half-metre resolution, comparable to high-resolution commercial satellite imagery available in Western countries. This represents a significant improvement in Iran’s domestic capabilities, allowing analysts to identify changes in aircraft, vehicles, and infrastructure. According to documents seen by the FT, in September 2024 the IRGC Aerospace Force — which oversees Iran’s ballistic missile, drone, and space programmes — agreed to pay approximately 250 million RMB (US$36.6 million) to take control of the satellite system. Under the agreement, Emposat will provide the IRGC with software and a ground network to operate the satellite throughout its lifespan. These will enable command transmission, telemetry, and image acquisition, allowing the IRGC to control the satellite’s operations from anywhere in the world. Although Emposat is a commercial entity, it was founded by Richard Zhao, who worked for 15 years at the state-owned China Academy of Space Technology. According to the company’s website, several of Earth Eye’s senior executives and engineers have connections with Chinese universities known as the “Seven Sons of National Defence” due to their close collaboration with the People’s Liberation Army. The details of the satellite deal have emerged at a time when the United States is deeply concerned about China’s assistance to Iran. The US has received indications that China is considering supplying Iran with shoulder-fired missiles of the type recently used by Iran to shoot down a US F-15 fighter jet. The FT used publicly available tracking data from the US Space Force to analyse the orbit of TEE-01B and found that the satellite was in a position to observe the listed locations at the times specified in the documents shared with the FT. In each case, the timestamps, coordinates, and sensor angles were consistent with the satellite’s position. Government statements and media reports show that many of these sites were struck in the days before or after the satellite passed overhead. The FT used radar imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite and medium-resolution images from Sentinel-2 to identify potential damage.
