U.S. Assessments Link Chinese Data to Iran’s Targeting

U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that imagery and geospatial data from Chinese groups have helped Iran improve its ability to target U.S. military sites and track ships, including in the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials briefed on the assessments. The reporting links the assistance to a July strike on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed three American service members, but does not establish that China’s government directed or authorized it. Officials said satellite imagery was critical to the attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. They assessed that Iran could not otherwise have achieved comparable precision. A separate account said Iran obtained high-resolution imagery of the base from Chinese sources before and after the July 17 attack. The specific companies involved have not been publicly identified, and the supplied accounts do not provide the underlying intelligence or imagery for independent verification. U.S. officials also said Chinese geospatial data has helped Iran follow vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and time attacks.