(Bloomberg) -- The US imposed sanctions on three Chinese firms for providing satellite imagery to Iran, enabling its military strikes on American forces in the Middle East, as Washington ramps up efforts to restrict technological support for Tehran in the conflict.
China’s Meentropy Technology (Hangzhou) Co., The Earth Eye, and Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. were named by the US in its list of entities and individuals assisting Iran, some of which were based in Belarus and the United Arab Emirates, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Friday.
None of the three Chinese companies could provide an immediate response outside of office hours on Saturday, while there was no immediate comment on the sanctions from Beijing officials.
The action comes just a week before an expected and long-awaited summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Washington has already sanctioned one of China’s largest private oil refiners over its links to Iran, prompting Beijing to tell its companies not to comply.
Meentropy Technology, known as MizarVision, published open-source images detailing US military activity during Operation Epic Fury, while The Earth Eye provided satellite imagery to Iran, the Department of State said. Chang Guang collected data on US and allied military forces at Tehran’s request, according to the statement. The company has previously been sanctioned by Washington.
The US has sought to restrict commercial satellite imagery in the Middle East during the war with Iran as it can quickly inform military planning. Last month, the Trump administration asked providers of the technology to voluntarily withhold images of designated areas of interest due to the conflict, prompting Planet Labs PBC to restrict access to data from the region.
The earth observation sector has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with China operating the largest commercial imaging program outside the US.
The US included the Ministry of Defence Export Center — the exporting arm of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics — in its latest sanctions for its role in Tehran’s efforts to acquire weapons.
--With assistance from Tian Ying and Josh Xiao.