China sells everything from t-shirts to in-orbit satellites targeting US assets in the Middle East.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) acquired a Chinese Earth-observation satellite in late 2024 after it was already launched into space from China, in what was called an “in-orbit delivery” deal.
This gave Iran the ability to capture satellite imagery at a resolution of 0.5 meters. The TEE-01B’s higher resolution allowed the IRGC to see U.S. bases in the Middle East, with some of them being hit by drone strikes soon after.
Earth Eye Co. is not a defense contractor, with the company website saying that its satellites are built for “agriculture, ocean monitoring, emergency management, natural resource supervision, and municipal transportation.” However, the data it gathers for civilian use can also be deployed for military operations. This dual-use application highlights the grey area between military and civilian hardware applications, especially as this Chinese satellite was used to target US military assets — a somewhat sensitive issue for China as it’s the largest buyer of oil from the Middle East and is also one of the largest trading partners of the region.
China also exports fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an analgesic (pain reliever) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.
China can't regulate how you use the Chinese products you buy. China makes and exports American guns to the US also.
This gave Iran the ability to capture satellite imagery at a resolution of 0.5 meters. The TEE-01B’s higher resolution allowed the IRGC to see U.S. bases in the Middle East, with some of them being hit by drone strikes soon after.
Earth Eye Co. is not a defense contractor, with the company website saying that its satellites are built for “agriculture, ocean monitoring, emergency management, natural resource supervision, and municipal transportation.” However, the data it gathers for civilian use can also be deployed for military operations. This dual-use application highlights the grey area between military and civilian hardware applications, especially as this Chinese satellite was used to target US military assets — a somewhat sensitive issue for China as it’s the largest buyer of oil from the Middle East and is also one of the largest trading partners of the region.
China also exports fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an analgesic (pain reliever) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.
China can't regulate how you use the Chinese products you buy. China makes and exports American guns to the US also.


