War in the Middle East: Did Iran use a Chinese spy satellite to strike American bases?

Will tensions between China and the United States escalate over conflict in the Middle East?

• According to a British newspaper, Iran has used a Chinese spy satellite.
• What do we know about this device? Laura Pouget, LCI journalist, explains.

The China played a role in targeting American interests in the Middle East? According to the Financial Times, Iran used a Chinese spy satellite, TEE-01B, purchased by the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards Corps in 2024.

These revelations could increase tensions between Beijing and Washington, which have already escalated in recent days. As Laura Pouget explains, “Iran was able to monitor strategic military sites, including an airbase in Saudi Arabia where several American refuelers were hit and damaged in mid-March. It was on the same base that an American Awacs was severely damaged by an Iranian strike on March 27.” A meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is scheduled to take place in mid-May in Beijing.

Other military sites and civilian infrastructure in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, or Kuwait may have been monitored by this Chinese device.

On LCI, Laura Pouget discusses the capabilities of this Chinese satellite. “TEE-01B provides images with a resolution of about half a meter, the most advanced Iranian satellite only goes up to five meters. The smaller the resolution, the greater the detail of the image,” emphasizes the journalist.