00:00The Financial Times reports Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite in late 2024
00:05that allowed it to target U.S. military bases across the Middle East during the recent war.
00:10The report cites leaked Iranian military documents saying the T-01B satellite was
00:16acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force after it was launched
00:20into space from China. It was built and launched by the Chinese firm Earth Eye Company.
00:25Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major U.S. military sites.
00:29The newspaper also cites timestamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, orbital analysis,
00:35and images taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations.
00:40As part of the deal, the IRGC received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat,
00:45a Beijing-based provider of satellite control and data services with a network extending across
00:50Asia, Latin America, and other regions. Reuters could not verify the report.
00:55China's foreign minister and embassy denied the report and called it disinformation.
00:59These companies and government agencies did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries.
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