Iran secretly acquired a Chinese ‌spy satellite in late 2024 that has allowed it to target U.S. military bases across the Middle East during the current war, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, an account Beijing dismissed as untrue.

The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by Chinese company Earth ​Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force after it was launched ​into space from China, the report said, citing leaked Iranian military documents.

Iranian military commanders ⁠directed the satellite to monitor major U.S. military sites, the newspaper said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery ​and orbital analysis. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those ​locations, the Financial Times said.