China Denies Giving Iran Intel Before Strike That Killed US Troops
China has denied reports that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite images of a military base housing US troops in Jordan before and after an Iranian missile strike that killed three American soldiers.
The reports, published by the Wall Street Journal, relate to missile strikes carried out by Iran on July 17 against the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The newspaper cited unnamed US officials, although the officials reportedly did not identify the Chinese entities allegedly involved or directly accuse the Chinese government of providing the information.
Responding to the reports on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun rejected what he described as unsupported allegations.
Guo said Beijing firmly opposed what he called groundless suspicion and accusations made without evidence.
The reports come ahead of a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on September 24, amid already strained relations between Washington and Beijing.
US President Donald Trump appeared to play down the reports, saying that both countries engage in intelligence activities against each other.
Trump has previously warned Beijing against selling weapons to Iran. In May, the United States sanctioned three China-based satellite companies, accusing them of enabling Iran’s military operations.
China remains an important economic and diplomatic partner of Iran and purchases a significant portion of the country’s oil exports.
Despite the latest dispute, Trump said Xi had behaved reasonably and indicated that relations between the two countries could remain constructive.
The allegations surrounding the satellite imagery have not been independently established publicly, while Beijing continues to deny that Chinese companies supplied Tehran with the images connected to the July strike.
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