US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in tea with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, in the Red Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 25, 2026.
REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Chinese satellite intelligence helped Iran carry out a
precision strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan this summer,
according to U.S. intelligence assessments described to CNN in a damning report
that comes as President Donald Trump hosts Xi Jinping at the White House.Four
sourcestold CNN
that data flowing from Chinese groups has made Iran's
missiles and drones far more accurate in recent months. Tehran has used that
edge to stalk tankers and U.S. escorts in the Strait of Hormuz and to hit
American bases harder than officials thought it could on its own. The sources
said Chinese imagery made the difference in a July strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air
Base, which killed
Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, and Sgt. Angel Rampersad.Massive
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"There's a reason that their targeting has improved,
and it is due to some assistance," one source told CNN. "Getting reps
on the battlefield helps, but getting a helping hand helps a lot too."U.S.
officials can't say whether the help comes on orders from Beijing or with its
quiet permission, and they are split on how much it matters.
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The findings clash with what the administration has said
in public.
"As the president stated, nothing that any outside
actor is doing to help Iran is in any way increasing their ability to target
Americans," a U.S. official told CNN.
The report came during a visit that began with Trump personally
greeting Xi on the tarmac and continued with Trump inviting
Xi's delegation to tour his unfinished ballroom. U.S. Ambassador to China
David Perdue told
CNBC that Trump warned Xi to cut off any support for Tehran. Perdue later
said on Fox News that Chinese officials had promised they weren't providing it.
One official credited Chinese components with keeping
Iran in the fight while another said Tehran has been able to rearm partly
because Trump stopped the bombing campaign, with targets still left on the
Pentagon's list.
The disclosures also reached Trump's own base, with MAGA
activist Laura Loomer publicly
questioning why China has faced no accountability while Xi was treated like
a king.
China's embassy did not respond to CNN. China's foreign ministry has previously accused critics of using the conflict to smear Beijing./-
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