Russia, China Arm Iran in Precision Strikes on US Bases — SkimNews
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- Iran struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17 with an unusually precise missile, killing 3 American soldiers and wounding 4, after receiving high-resolution satellite imagery from Chinese entities that aided targeting — and obtained more imagery afterward to assess damage and refine future attacks.
- Russia fed Iran satellite intelligence aiding precision strikes: 14 Russian spy satellites passed over Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base two days before a March 27 attack that wounded 12 American personnel, and Russian engineers are now helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles capable of evading US and Israeli air defenses.
- Russia's drone program shows axis cooperation has gone networked: Iranian Shahed drones were sold to Russia, refined with Chinese components on the Ukraine battlefield, and evolved into jet-powered Geran drones that are faster, carry larger payloads, and are harder to intercept — technology the source says will likely circulate back to Iran's Middle East theater.
- North Korea is expanding Shahed-type drone manufacturing using technology learned at Russia's Yelabuga factory, while Chinese military personnel received drone warfare training from Russian forces, according to Ukrainian reports cited in the article.
- The United States entered the Middle East conflict with a stronger formal alliance network than its adversaries, but many partners declined specific military access and others publicly resisted helping secure the Strait of Hormuz.
- The Trump administration's pursuit of better ties with Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang — alongside the US killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro — has reinforced regime security fears in axis capitals without loosening the four-country partnership.
Why it matters: Tehran's patrons now deliver weapons and intelligence without joining the war directly — a July 17 Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti killed 3 US soldiers using Chinese satellite imagery, and Russia's battlefield-refined drones are likely to follow the same path to Iran's Middle East theater. Meanwhile, US partners declined specific military access, leaving Washington to absorb the cost of defending against a learning axis.
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