Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force secretly acquired and utilized a Chinese-built spy satellite, TEE-01B, to track United States military installations throughout West Asia. This revelation comes from leaked Iranian military documents cited in a recent Financial Times report.
Satellite Acquisition and Surveillance
The TEE-01B satellite, manufactured and launched by the Chinese firm Earth Eye Co, was reportedly obtained by the IRGC in late 2024, shortly after its deployment from China. According to the leaked documents, Iranian military commanders subsequently directed the satellite to observe key US military sites.
The Financial Times' findings are based on a collection of time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis contained within the leaked materials. Images reportedly captured in March 2026 show US bases both before and after drone and missile strikes occurred at several of these locations.
Targeted US Installations
Among the facilities monitored by the TEE-01B were Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, sites near the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport in Iraq. Satellite imagery of Prince Sultan Air Base was reportedly acquired on March 13, 14, and 15.
These surveillance activities coincided with IRGC-claimed attacks on several of the monitored locations. For instance, on March 14, US President Donald Trump confirmed that American planes at Prince Sultan Air Base had been hit. Later, Reuters reported that twelve US troops were wounded, two seriously, in an Iranian military strike on the Saudi Arabian base.
Chinese Ground Support
As part of the clandestine arrangement, the IRGC also gained access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based company specializing in satellite control and data services. Emposat maintains a broad network across Asia, Latin America, and other regions, facilitating Iran's ability to direct and receive data from the spy satellite.
Earlier reports from March 2026 also noted Iran's launch of two ballistic missiles towards the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, though these missiles reportedly did not hit their target.