Democracy Dies in Darkness

Chinese firms market Iran war intelligence ‘exposing’ U.S. forces

The private companies — some with ties to the military — are marketing detailed intelligence on movements of U.S. forces, even as Beijing seeks to keep its distance.

A person visits the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26, 2025. (Go Nakamura/Reuters)

As the war in Iran erupted five weeks ago, social media sleuths across Western and Chinese platforms flagged a wave of viral posts detailing equipment at U.S. bases, the movements of American carrier groups and granular breakdowns of how military aircraft were assembling for strikes on Tehran.

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