Chinese satellite imagery firm MizarVision, which rose to fame with its analysis of American military deployments in the US-Israel war on Iran, is treating its addition to the US sanctions list as a badge of honour in its hiring campaign.
The open-source intelligence (OSINT) start-up, formally known as Meentropy Technology Hangzhou Co Ltd, specialises in analysing data from commercial satellites and has conducted several observations of US military movements in recent months.
It was added to the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on Friday for publishing “open-source images detailing US military activity during Operation Epic Fury”.
The company responded on Sunday, posting a recruitment advertisement on social media that prominently featured a screenshot of the US Treasury’s official sanctions notice alongside MizarVision job openings.
“The outside world occasionally sends us a ‘surprise’, but we have always been the type to accept with a grin and keep charging forward,” the text reads.
“If you believe in superiority through strength, love combat-grade engineering, know how to turn pressure into productivity – welcome to join us!”
The company has not replied to queries from the South China Morning Post.
MizarVision’s display of defiance towards US strength and its combative stance struck a chord with Chinese internet users. The top-voted comment on the post said: “The White House certification is the best advertisement.”
The company was one of three Chinese entities targeted by the sanctions, accused of “providing satellite imagery to enable Iran’s military strikes against US forces in the Middle East”, according to a State Department statement.
“The supply of satellite imagery of US facilities in the Middle East to Iran threatens American and partner personnel. The United States will continue to take action to hold China-based entities accountable for their support to Iran,” it said.
A place on the SDN list implies that American persons and entities are banned from conducting any transactions with the company. Any assets it holds within the United States’ jurisdiction are frozen, effectively cutting it off from the US-led financial system and therefore barring it from most international operations.
The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday criticised the US accusation, describing it as “maliciously linking and smearing” China with the war on Iran.
“China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the United Nations Security Council,” spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing, pledging to “firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests” of Chinese companies.
MizarVision frequently publishes satellite imagery of US military deployments and carrier strike group movements, including before and during the latest operations in the Middle East.
Using a combination of OSINT gathering and AI-powered analysis, MizarVision also provides open-source data on a number of global hotspots, including Ukraine/Russia, Cuba and the South China Sea.
In April, the firm tried to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse the strike patterns of US bombers deployed over Iran. And on May 8 – the very day sanctions were announced – it released another detailed intelligence analysis of the Strait of Hormuz. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
