The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that when Iran attacked a U.S. military base in Jordan in July this year, killing three American soldiers, it used satellite imagery provided by Chinese entities. When asked whether he would raise the matter at the U.S.-China summit, Trump did not answer directly.
China began enforcing the 19-article Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration promulgated on July 31 starting September 15, expanding the scope of those barred from leaving the country from specific groups to all departing passengers at every port of exit, particularly affecting AI researchers and entrepreneurs, drawing widespread attention and concern at home and abroad. On September 10, officials issued a clarification saying the new rules mainly target cross-border gambling, telecom fraud, and the illicit transfer of technology. On the same day, the human rights organization Safeguard Defenders released a report noting an explosive growth in China's exit bans, with nearly 200,000 mentions of exit restrictions in Supreme People's Court rulings in 2025.
US officials have revealed evidence indicating that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan from Chinese entities before launching an attack on the base in July, which resulted in the deaths of three US soldiers and injuries to four. The US has raised the issue with China, but has been rebuffed. This incident further complicates the backdrop for the US-China summit on September 24th.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal in September 2026, U.S. officials said that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery provided by Chinese entities before its July attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan, and used it to assess the strike's effectiveness; China denied the related allegations. The U.S. is also investigating whether Chinese companies helped Iran track U.S. warships.
Iran launched ballistic missiles at Jordan, which hosts U.S. military bases; most of them were intercepted.
After the U.S. military launched attacks on Iran, Iranian forces carried out strikes; the Jordanian military intercepted five Iranian missiles, and Iran also struck a building belonging to a Chinese company in northern Kuwait.
Iranian missiles and drones struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing two U.S. service members and leaving others injured and missing.
In July 2026, Iran attacked a US military base in Jordan, resulting in the deaths of 3 US soldiers. US officials stated that prior to the attack, Iran obtained high-resolution satellite images provided by Chinese entities to observe the US military base system, and acquired related images after the attack to assess the strike effectiveness. The US side subsequently investigated whether Chinese companies also assisted Iran in tracking US warships, while the Chinese side denied the relevant accusations.
On July 17, Iran launched an attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing 3 US soldiers and wounding 4 others. It was the first US casualty since the ceasefire in April, showing a significant improvement in the precision of Iran's strikes.