U.S. Links Chinese Imagery to Iran Strike
PHOTO CAPTION: A U.S. Air Force F-16 operates at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, Jordan, in 2010. Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed in an Iranian strike on the base on July 17, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Wolfram Stumpf.
U.S. officials have linked high-resolution satellite imagery obtained by Iran from Chinese entities to the Iranian missile strike that killed three American soldiers at a U.S.-used air base in Jordan in July.
Before Iran attacked Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on July 17, Tehran acquired satellite images of the installation from Chinese entities, according to U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal. Officials said Iran obtained imagery both before and after the attack and that the United States has connected the imagery to the strike.
The strike killed three U.S. Army soldiers and wounded four others.
Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was killed in the July 17 attack. Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, was also killed in the strike after initially being listed as missing. First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died the following day from injuries suffered in the attack.
The new intelligence finding does not establish that the Chinese government itself planned or directed the attack.
U.S. officials declined to publicly identify the Chinese entities that allegedly supplied the imagery and did not accuse Beijing of directly participating in the strike. Reuters said it had not independently verified the Wall Street Journal report.
China has rejected the accusations.
Asked about the report Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing had consistently fulfilled its international obligations and opposed what he called accusations made without evidence.
The allegation nevertheless adds a new dimension to one of the deadliest Iranian attacks on American forces during the current conflict.
Muwaffaq Salti Air Base has hosted U.S. military personnel and aircraft for years and has played an important role in American operations in the region. The July strike demonstrated that Iran was capable of inflicting lethal damage on U.S. forces despite layered American and allied defenses.
The latest disclosure also arrives as Washington is already scrutinizing China's relationship with Tehran.
But President Donald Trump appeared to play down the significance of the report when reporters asked Sunday whether he planned to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping about it.
“They basically do what we do,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.
Trump added that China spies on the United States and the United States spies on China, while reiterating that he believes he has a good relationship with Xi. Trump and Xi are expected to meet in the United States later this month, although China has not formally confirmed the meeting.
The comparison could become controversial because the allegation goes beyond ordinary intelligence collection.
According to the U.S. officials cited by the Journal, the imagery supplied to Iran was connected to an attack that ultimately killed American troops.
That leaves a significant unanswered question as the war continues: exactly how much intelligence support Iran is receiving from foreign entities — and whether any of that assistance is helping Tehran identify and strike American forces.
At least 18 U.S. service members have been killed since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in late February, according to Reuters.
(Source: OAF Nation)
