🔗 Share this article

Multiple US and Israeli strikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged at least 11 warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, new orbital imagery show, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also coming under fire.

Images of the southern Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iran's naval force, depict smoke billowing from multiple ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Forces Incurred Significant Damage

Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had served as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence assessments state that no fewer than five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern end of the port reveal smoke emanating from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships are visibly impacted, with a single one visibly ablaze.

Over at the Konarak base, photos reveal numerous damaged vessels, with expert review pointing to strikes against six ships. Pictures taken on the start of the week also indicate that multiple buildings at the installation have been destroyed.

"For many years the Iranian regime has threatened international shipping," a senior US military official declared. "Now, there is no vessel from Iran underway in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of vessels reportedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been independently verified. Additional information suggested that an Iranian vessel was going down off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Installations and Atomic Facilities Attacked

The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as further aims of the offensive. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were targeted.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was observed to warehouses, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Damage was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly focused on installations at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of the country's atomic program. A global monitoring agency commented that the affected buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was likely.

Broader Impact and Analysis

Observers suggested that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iran's naval capability to carry out conventional attacks using its most significant warships. But, it was noted that Tehran still has the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.

The overall scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities has yet to be fully assessed, with hostilities said to be ongoing. Imagery also indicates extensive damage to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city of Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also seem to have been hit in the capital city and across Iran since the fighting began. Reports of deaths from inside Iran suggest that a high number of civilians may have been lost their lives in the strikes.

With the conflict ongoing, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to track the unfolding scope of damage.