Washington, Sep 14 (V7N)- US President Donald Trump has dismissed reports that Iran obtained satellite imagery of a US military base from Chinese companies before an attack in Jordan that killed three American soldiers.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday (September 13), Trump said Chinese and US intelligence activities are essentially similar.
Asked whether he would discuss the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their upcoming meeting, Trump did not directly answer but instead compared the intelligence operations of the two countries.
“They basically do the same thing we do. When they say China spies on us, I say, ‘You're right.’ We spy on them, too,” Trump said.
The comments came after The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Iran had obtained satellite images of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan through Chinese companies before an attack on July 17.
Three US soldiers were killed in the attack, prompting questions over how Iran obtained information about the military facility and whether Chinese companies had provided assistance.
According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials believe they have identified a connection between satellite imagery and the Iranian attack. They described the findings as the clearest evidence so far that Chinese assistance may have contributed to the deaths of US service members.
The US officials did not identify the Chinese companies allegedly involved but said Washington believes the satellite imagery was connected to the attack.
The report also said senior US officials had raised the issue with Chinese officials. Beijing, however, has rejected the allegations.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington told the newspaper that cooperation between China and Iran is normal and consistent with international law. The spokesperson accused those making the allegations of deliberately involving other countries in the matter to spread disinformation.
The spokesperson did not respond specifically to the allegations concerning the July 17 attack, according to the report.
The Wall Street Journal further reported that, according to US officials, Beijing has not acknowledged that any Chinese company provided satellite imagery used to identify Iranian military targets.
The issue could add further strain to US-China relations, particularly ahead of a potential meeting between Trump and Xi scheduled for September 24.
The July attack on Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base marked the first reported death of US troops in the Iran-US conflict since a ceasefire in April. At the time, Washington and Tehran had also suspended implementation of an interim agreement reached in June.
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