Tehran/Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite in late 2024, giving it a significant new capability to identify and attack US military bases in the current war, it published this Wednesday. The Financial Times.
According to Iranian military documents leaked to the newspaper, the Chinese satellite TEE-01B was received by the Aerospace Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in late 2024, after its launch from China and, once operational, it was used to monitor key US military installations.
China, Iran’s main trading partner and one of its most influential allies, has been condemning the war since the US and Israel offensive against Iran on February 28, but both Tehran and Beijing have avoided commenting on the alleged support that the Asian giant could be providing to its Persian ally.
In this sense, the Financial Times analyzed images taken by the satellite in March, before and after attacks against locations in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Iraq, which coincide with surveillance work around the dates of the bombings claimed by Iran against facilities in those countries.
They coincide with the surveillance work around the dates of the bombings claimed by Iran
Most Middle Eastern states that host US military bases and share interests with Washington and allied countries have been targets of Iranian attacks since the start of the war.
Many also have close ties to Beijing, which mediated the restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023.
The TEE-01B is capable of capturing images with a resolution of approximately half a meter, comparable to commercially available high-resolution Western satellite records. This acquisition, according to Financial Timesrepresents a significant improvement in Iran’s national capabilities, as it would allow it to improve the identification of aircraft, vehicles and infrastructure changes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping advocated on Tuesday for a “comprehensive and lasting” ceasefire in the Middle East during a meeting in Beijing with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, amid escalating tensions in the region due to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a “comprehensive and lasting” ceasefire on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, on the commercial level there are also consequences. The United States Central Command announced this Tuesday that it has implemented a total blockade of Iran’s ports and “completely stopped” its trade entering and leaving by sea to the Islamic republic.
Through a statement broadcast on X, Admiral Brad Cooper, in charge of Central Command, announced that the United States Armed Forces managed to completely block the ports of Iran.
Cooper added that 90% of the country’s trade enters and leaves by sea, which is why they consider they have “completely stopped” the country’s economic activity, a pressure measure that had already been announced by the Donald Trump Administration.
The blockade of Iranian ports occurs two days after negotiations in Islamabad, where delegations from both countries failed to reach agreements to put an end to the war that has raged for the last seven weeks in the Middle East.
The delegations of both countries failed to reach agreements to end the war
The new US measure had been advanced by Trump, who has criticized Tehran for allegedly not having reopened the Strait of Hormuz under the terms agreed upon when a two-week ceasefire was reached that began eight days ago.
Despite the new measure, Trump assured Fox News on Tuesday that “the war is about to end,” ensuring that Tehran is “desperately seeking an agreement.”
In response, Iran warned this Wednesday that it will not allow any type of export or import in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea if the United States continues its “illegal action” of naval blockade of Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers in Hormuz.
The commander of the Jatam al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Major General Ali Abdolahi, as reported by the Tasnim agency, stated that any attempt by Washington to maintain the maritime encirclement in the region would, in practice, constitute a violation of the two-week ceasefire agreed with the United States, which came into effect last Wednesday.
