The news was announced on Friday, May 8th and quickly picked up by many global press titles. “The United States has imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies specializing in commercial satellites, suspected of supporting Iran,” reports the Financial Times from London, summarizing the content of a press release published by the US State Department.
The targeted companies are The Earth Eye, a satellite communications company, MizarVision, a geospatial intelligence company, and Chang Guang Satellite Technology, a group working in commercial satellite imaging. All three are accused by Washington of aiding Tehran by providing satellite images used for military purposes by the forces of the Islamic Republic.
In mid-April, the British newspaper had revealed that Iran had secretly obtained a Chinese spy satellite to target US bases in the Middle East. The name of The Earth Eye company was mentioned at that time, and now, a few weeks later, the White House has decided to take action.
As explained by Bloomberg, since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, “the United States has sought to restrict access to commercial satellite images, as they can provide valuable information for military attacks.”
“Last month, the Trump administration requested technology providers not to release images of certain conflict-related areas,” continues the New York media. The issue is that China has become a giant in the sector, with Beijing “running the largest commercial imaging program outside the United States.” Clearly, its companies do not intend to comply with Washington’s demands, and this observation extends beyond the satellite imaging sector.
The US Treasury Department also announced sanctions on May 8th against companies aiding Tehran. Among them, noted by the South China Morning Post from Hong Kong, “include the company Yushita Shanghai International, accused of helping Tehran buy weapons, as well as Hitex Insulation Ningbo, accused of supplying millions of dollars of materials used by Iran in ballistic missile research and launch tests.”
Two Chinese companies, along with two other Hong Kong-based enterprises, “HK Hesin Industry, which the United States accuses of acting as an intermediary in these purchases, and Mustad Limited, also based in this city, accused of helping the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps buy weapons,” complete the English-language media report.
