Chinese satellite imagery helped Iran target US forces with greater precision, sources say

Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups have helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz and carry out more precise strikes on US military bases in the Middle East, according to recent US intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources.

The support has contributed to a significant improvement in Iran's targeting capabilities over the past several months, the sources said.

Chinese satellite imagery helped Iran strike a US base in Jordan in July, killing three American service members, with a level of precision that US officials believe would otherwise have been beyond Iran's capabilities, the sources added.

Chinese geospatial data has also improved Iran's ability to track ships in the Strait of Hormuz, increasing the chances of its drones and missiles hitting their targets, according to one US official.

Two other sources said the data has enabled Iran to use relatively unsophisticated heat-seeking drones that cannot be manoeuvred in midair to threaten ships by helping Iranian forces time their launches.

The Chinese support is one of several factors that US officials say have contributed to Iran becoming more accurate in its attacks in recent months. Russia has also provided support to Tehran, while Iranian forces' growing combat experience has also improved their effectiveness, according to the sources.

US officials said it is difficult to determine the extent of China's assistance. It is also unclear whether the Chinese government has ordered the support or is merely allowing it to continue, while some officials disagree over how much assistance Beijing is providing.

A fifth source familiar with US intelligence said recent reporting suggested China would prefer an end to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which have contributed to higher global oil prices.

The intelligence support has also helped Iran develop new tactics in the strategic waterway.

US officials and outside analysts describe the Strait of Hormuz as Iran's main point of leverage. Tehran has continued to attack US military escorts and commercial vessels by launching large numbers of heat-seeking drones towards ships after they reach a specific point in the waterway.

One US official described the location as a "knuckle".

The drones themselves are not considered technologically sophisticated, but Iranian forces have demonstrated an ability to track US escort operations with help from Chinese satellite imagery and launch attacks at what they consider the most effective moment, the sources said.

The tactic involves launching large numbers of drones in the hope that they will lock onto the heat signatures of ships, according to two US officials.

During one recent escort operation, US forces intercepted more than a dozen Iranian missiles and shot down nearly 20 drones, while also carrying out offensive operations against about 60 targets around the strait, one US official said.

The intelligence support comes in addition to technical assistance from China and Russia that has helped Iran improve guidance systems for its missiles and drones.

At least in some cases, including the July attack on the US base in Jordan, officials said Chinese intelligence data had proved decisive.

"There's a reason that their targeting has improved, and it is due to some assistance," one source said. "Getting reps on the battlefield helps, but getting a helping hand helps a lot too."

The Chinese embassy in Washington and Iranian diplomatic officials did not respond to CNN's requests for comment before publication. The US Defense Department also declined to comment, while the White House did not respond to a query.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Iran had used Chinese satellite data in its July attack on the base in Jordan.

Asked about the report at the time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China "always strictly fulfills its due international obligations" and opposed attempts to exploit the conflict to "throw mud at China".

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Washington for meetings with US President Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday.

The Trump administration has largely refrained from publicly condemning China over reports of direct or indirect support for Iran, including possible intelligence and military assistance. One US official said the issue was likely to be discussed during Xi's visit.

Asked after the Jordan attack whether China was providing targeting assistance to Iran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to discuss the matter.

"Nothing that China has done has in any way changed the trajectory of … the conflicts we're having with Iran," Rubio told reporters, adding that China had in some cases been "quite cooperative" and had publicly opposed Iranian efforts to halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran adapts

The Trump administration has also sought to restrict Chinese commercial satellite imagery of the region, which US officials have warned could endanger American troops.

In May, the administration sanctioned three Chinese satellite companies that it said had provided imagery that "enables Iran's military strikes against US forces in the Middle East".

As the US war enters its seventh month, officials say Iran has adapted its battlefield tactics to continue threatening US assets in the region and maintain pressure on Washington and its allies.

One source familiar with recent intelligence assessments said Iran was shooting down MQ-9 Reaper drones "left and right" and that alerts about Iranian drone activity remained frequent.

"They're getting better because we've essentially given them more time to train," another source said. The same source said China had also provided Iran with air defence systems.

Several US officials have expressed concern about the vulnerability of American forces to missiles and drones flying at low to medium altitudes, rather than higher-altitude projectiles that US air defence systems are designed to counter.

That vulnerability is forcing the US to strengthen defences at some military and diplomatic sites in the Middle East, a source familiar with the matter said.

Iran demonstrated its ability to strike US bases in the Middle East in 2020, after then-President Trump ordered the killing of a senior Iranian general during his first term.

But multiple US officials said Iran's ability to hit precise targets has improved since then.

A recent report by the Pentagon's inspector general said Iranian strikes during the first months of the war "damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures" at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.

Those strikes led to significant changes in the way US troops operate in the region, the report said, with US Central Command moving personnel, assets and storage facilities as they came under attack from Iran and its proxy forces.

US officials are also concerned about Iran's imports of dual-use components, given its recent ability to rebuild its military capabilities and industrial base.

"Without the Chinese parts they wouldn't be as likely to keep fighting, it is as basic as that," a US official said.

Still, another official said Iran's rebuilding of its military inventory was consistent with earlier assessments by US intelligence agencies and was also partly a consequence of Trump's decision to halt full combat operations before the US military had completed its entire target list.