US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed a report alleging that Iran obtained satellite images of a military base in Jordan from Chinese sources. This acquisition reportedly occurred prior to an attack in July that resulted in the deaths of three US troops stationed at the base. Trump’s comments come amid ongoing tensions in the region and concerns about Iran’s military activities.
The Chinese and US presidents are expected to meet in the United States on September 24, although China has yet to officially confirm that the meeting will take place.
A recent report in the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials about the attack in Jordan. Asked whether he would mention the issue at an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump did not directly answer, and instead equated the surveillance activities of China and the United States. Trump’s comments appeared consistent with the administration’s recent efforts to play down wide-ranging tensions between Washington and Beijing, despite US frustration over Beijing’s close ties to Tehran.
“I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said as he flew back to the United States after a weekend trip to Ireland. The Wall Street Journal report, which Reuters could not immediately verify, said the US officials declined to identify the Chinese entities that supplied the imagery to Iran and did not allege direct involvement by Beijing.
