NEW YORK (VINnews) — U.S. officials have linked satellite imagery provided to Iran by Chinese entities to a July missile attack that killed three American service members at a U.S. military base in Jordan, raising new concerns in Washington over Beijing’s support for Tehran as President Donald Trump prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Iran obtained high-resolution satellite images of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan from Chinese sources both before and after the July 17 attack. Iranian ballistic missiles struck a residential area where U.S. personnel were staying, killing three troops and wounding four others. U.S. officials have described the connection between the imagery and the attack as the clearest evidence yet that Chinese assistance to Iran has had lethal consequences for American forces.

The officials have not accused the Chinese government of directly ordering or participating in the attack, and the specific Chinese companies involved have not been publicly identified. Senior U.S. officials have raised the matter with their Chinese counterparts, who rejected the allegations and demanded evidence. Beijing has repeatedly said its cooperation with Iran complies with international law and has accused Washington of attempting to discredit China.

The Trump administration has previously taken action against Chinese satellite companies. In May, the United States sanctioned three Chinese firms, accusing them of providing satellite imagery that could enable Iranian military operations against U.S. forces.

The satellite imagery is only one part of a much broader relationship between China and Iran. According to trade records analyzed by The Wall Street Journal, Chinese companies have continued sending Iran large quantities of dual-use equipment and industrial components, including electronics, motors, tracking equipment and materials that can be used in the production of missiles and Shahed drones.

The flow of supplies has continued despite the war and periods of ceasefire. Iran has increasingly relied on air cargo to maintain its supply lines as maritime routes have come under pressure.

Iranian airline Mahan Air, which is already under U.S. sanctions, increased its China-Iran flights dramatically. Flight-tracking data showed 39 flights between China and Iran during the first week of September, roughly twice the airline’s prewar level, with a number of the flights apparently focused on cargo rather than passengers.

China also remains Iran’s most important oil customer. Beijing’s purchases provide Tehran with a crucial source of revenue at a time when U.S. sanctions and the war have placed severe pressure on the Iranian economy.

Despite the growing evidence of Chinese support for Iran, Trump has sought to avoid allowing the issue to derail his relationship with Xi ahead of their meeting. Asked about the Journal report, Trump downplayed the significance of the allegations and said that China conducts surveillance of the United States just as Washington conducts surveillance of China. He has also repeatedly said that he believes Xi has behaved “reasonably well.”

That approach has drawn criticism in Congress. Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged Trump to make Chinese assistance to Iran a central issue in his talks with Xi.

“For months, we have known that Chinese companies are helping the Iranian military target and attempt to kill U.S. troops,” Slotkin wrote in a letter to Trump, arguing that the latest reporting suggested the assistance may have directly contributed to the deaths of American service members.

Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, has likewise called on Trump to take a tougher position toward Beijing, warning that Chinese assistance to Iran could represent a major escalation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the issue will be addressed in what he described as a “very candid conversation” with Beijing.

For Washington, the dilemma is increasingly clear: confronting China over its assistance to Iran could increase pressure on Tehran, but doing so risks damaging the broader U.S.-China relationship at a time when Trump is seeking cooperation with Xi on trade, security and other strategic issues.