US President Donald Trump has dismissed reports that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery before an Iranian missile strike on a US military base in Jordan. The attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in July killed three American soldiers, according to the supplied report.
The Wall Street Journal reported that unnamed US officials said Chinese entities had supplied the imagery to Iran. The report did not identify the entities and did not suggest that Beijing was directly involved, DW said.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after a visit to Ireland, Trump compared the alleged activity with US intelligence operations. “When they say that China spies on us, I say you're right, and we spy on them too,” he said.
Trump did not answer questions about whether he would raise the incident with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi is expected to visit the White House on September 24, although China has not officially confirmed that the meeting will take place.
Trump reiterated that he believed he had a good relationship with Xi, saying the Chinese leader had behaved reasonably and that the United States had done the same. His comments came as Washington faced concerns about Beijing’s support for Iran, while his administration sought to avoid escalating tensions with China.
The report said Trump had previously warned China against providing weapons to Iran. The United States sanctioned three Chinese satellite companies in May over alleged work with Iranian military entities. China is one of Iran’s main economic and diplomatic partners and a major buyer of Iranian oil, according to DW.