Trump downplays report of Chinese imagery for Iran strike

President Donald Trump on Sunday downplayed a report that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of a U.S. military base in Jordan before a deadly missile strike, stating that both nations engage in mutual intelligence gathering. The comments came aboard Air Force One as Trump returned from a trip to Ireland. The report, published by The Wall Street Journal and cited by multiple outlets, alleges that unnamed Chinese entities supplied high-resolution satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan to Iran before its July 17 missile attack. The strike killed three U.S. Army soldiers. U.S. officials cited in the report described the intelligence as the clearest evidence to date that support from Chinese entities for Iran has had deadly consequences for American forces. When asked about the report, Trump acknowledged China's intelligence activities but framed them as standard practice. "You know what they say? That China spies on us. I say you're right, and we spy on them, too," Trump told reporters. "They basically do what we do." He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping "has behaved reasonably well.