China on Monday rejected what it described as “groundless” allegations that Chinese entities provided Tehran with satellite images of a Jordanian military base hosting US troops before and after an Iranian attack that killed three American soldiers.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Iran’s July 17 missile attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, relying on accounts from unnamed US officials.
However, the report neither identified the Chinese entities allegedly involved nor indicated that Beijing was directly responsible for the transfer.
“We firmly oppose groundless suspicion and accusations without evidence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference on Monday.
US President Donald Trump also dismissed the allegations, which come amid already strained relations between Washington and Beijing ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to the White House on September 24.
“You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
“That’s what we do. They basically do what we do,” he said.
The Journal reported late Friday that Chinese officials, when questioned by their US counterparts, demanded verification of the alleged transfer of satellite imagery and declined to confirm that Chinese companies had supplied satellite photographs to Tehran.
Trump has previously warned Beijing against supplying weapons to Iran. In May, Washington imposed sanctions on three Chinese satellite companies over allegations that they had supported Iran’s military operations.
China remains Iran’s leading economic partner, purchasing a substantial share of its oil production while also serving as an important diplomatic ally.
Despite the ongoing tensions, Trump said of Xi on Sunday that “he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well.”
Asked whether he would ever permit Chinese vehicles to be sold in the United States, Trump said, “I haven’t. I’m the one who kept them out. Tariffs kept them out.
