US President Donald Trump has downplayed reports that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite imagery of a US military base in Jordan before and after an Iranian missile attack that killed three American soldiers.
Trump made the comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday, following a Wall Street Journal report that US officials had linked high-resolution satellite imagery obtained from Chinese entities to Iran’s July 17 attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Asked about the reported intelligence sharing, Trump said China and the United States both conduct espionage.
“You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too.”
He added:
“That’s what we do. They basically do what we do.”
The Wall Street Journal report, citing unnamed US officials, said Iran obtained satellite images of the Jordanian base both before and after the July 17 attack. The officials said the United States had linked the imagery to the strike but did not identify the Chinese entities involved or accuse the Chinese government of directly ordering or coordinating the assistance.
The Iranian missile attack on the base killed three US Army soldiers and wounded four others, according to the reported US assessment. The base hosts American forces in Jordan.
US officials reportedly raised the issue with their Chinese counterparts. Chinese officials demanded evidence of the alleged transfer and rejected the claim that Chinese companies had provided Tehran with satellite imagery for the attack.
The report comes at a sensitive time in US-China relations, with Trump expected to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. The satellite imagery allegations could add another point of tension between Washington and Beijing, although Trump sought to play down the significance of the issue.
The United States has previously taken action against Chinese satellite companies over alleged assistance to Iran. In May, Washington sanctioned three China-based satellite firms accused of enabling Iranian military operations.
China is also an important economic and diplomatic partner of Iran, including as a major buyer of Iranian oil.
Despite the latest report, Trump maintained that his relationship with Xi remained relatively stable.
“He’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well.”
Trump was also asked whether he would allow Chinese-made cars to be sold in the United States. He responded that tariffs had helped keep them out.
The allegations concerning the satellite imagery remain based on US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. There has been no public identification of the Chinese entities allegedly involved and no US accusation that the Chinese government directly participated in the deadly attack.
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