• FT report says Iran acquired Chinese spy satellite in 2024.
• Leaked documents suggest IRGC uses satellite to monitor US sites.
• Satellite imagery reportedly captured before, after strikes on bases.

China has dismissed a Financial Times report as “fabricated”, rejecting claims that Beijing provided covert satellite support to Iran enabling it to target US military bases across the Middle East during the ongoing conflict.

The report claims Iran secretly acquired a Chinese-made spy satellite in late 2024, which it has used to monitor and strike US military installations across the region.

The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force after it was launched into space from China, the report said, citing leaked Iranian military documents.

Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military sites, the newspaper said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations, the Financial Times said.

As part of the deal, the IRGC received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based provider of satellite control and data services with a network extending across Asia, Latin America and other regions, according to the report.

Rejecting the claims, the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters: “Recently, some forces have been keen on fabricating rumours and maliciously associating them with China.”

“China firmly opposes this kind of practice driven by ulterior motives,” read the statement.

Reuters could not verify the report.

The White House, CIA and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Earth Eye Co and Emposat also did not immediately respond to Reuters queries.

The report said the White House did not comment on the relationship between Emposat and the IRGC, but a spokesperson referred to comments US President Donald Trump made at the weekend when he warned that China would face “big problems” if it provided Iran with air defence systems.

When asked about the matter, the Chinese embassy in Washington told the newspaper: “We firmly oppose relevant parties spreading speculative and insinuative disinformation against China.”

The satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14 and 15, the report said.

On March 14, Trump confirmed US planes at the base had been hit.

According to the report, the satellite also monitored the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and locations close to the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport, Iraq, around the time of IRGC-claimed attacks on facilities in those areas.

• Those killed included a teacher and three students: governor.
• Minister says immediate investigations launched into shooting.
• Witnesses quoted by media say intense gunfire was heard.
  

Four people were killed and 20 others were wounded when a middle school student opened fire at a school in the Turkiye’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, Governor Mukerrem Unluer told reporters.

Unluer said a teacher and three students were among those killed, and added the shooter was a student who used his father’s weapons, concealed in a backpack, to carry out the attack. The shooter also died, he added.

Footage released by IHA private news agency showed a person, body and face covered, being evacuated in an ambulance, as well as tearful parents who had rushed to the school in the southern province´s main city, Kahramanmaras.

Witnesses quoted by media said intense gunfire was heard.

Police have increased security around the building, and television footage showed ambulances present in the area.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors had launched an immediate investigation into the shooting.

On Tuesday, an ex-student opened fire at his former high school, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself in a showdown with police, officials said.

School shootings in Turkiye are rare. In May 2024, a former student killed a private high school principal in Istanbul with a firearm five months after he was expelled.

DUBAI: Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab will temporarily close as it undergoes an 18-month phased restoration programme, its owner Jumeirah Group said.

The luxury hotel, one of the most recognisable landmarks in the United Arab Emirates, said the project aims to preserve its distinctive interiors and architectural heritage after more than 25 years of operation. 

The company announced the plan on social media, describing it as a “thoughtful pause” while upgrades are carried out.

Jumeirah said the work would be implemented in carefully planned phases to maintain the identity of the sail-shaped structure, widely seen as a symbol of Dubai’s skyline and tourism industry.

Construction of the hotel began on July 10, 1994, and it officially opened on December 1, 1999. Standing at 321 metres, the building was designed by British architect Tom Wright and developed at a cost of around $1 billion.

The hotel has 56 floors, including three underground levels, 202 luxury suites and 18 elevators, with its top floor located about 197.5 metres above ground.

Jumeirah said the restoration would focus on conserving the hotel’s interiors while upgrading facilities to meet modern standards, aiming to enhance guest experience without altering its signature design.

“This moment marks not an ending, but a thoughtful pause, dedicated to preserving an icon for generations to come,” the company said.

The Burj Al Arab, a flagship of Dubai’s luxury tourism sector, has hosted high-profile guests for more than two decades and has remained a global symbol of the emirate’s rapid development.