🔗 Share this article

A wave of American and Israeli strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships starting Saturday, freshly analyzed aerial photos demonstrate, with launch facilities and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show black smoke pouring from a number of ships on recent days.

Maritime Fleet Incurred Major Losses

Included in the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had served as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence evaluations state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Photos of the southern end of the port reveal smoke emanating from the Makran, while additional ships appear to be damaged, with one of them visibly ablaze.

Over at Konarak, photos show multiple damaged vessels, with intelligence reports pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Pictures from Monday also indicate that multiple structures at the base have been leveled.

"For decades the Iran's leadership has threatened commercial vessels," a senior US military official stated. "At present, there is no vessel from Iran operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been hidden in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports indicated that one Iranian ship was foundering near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a search and rescue mission.

Missile Sites and Nuclear Facilities Targeted

The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were stated as additional aims of the offensive. Satellite images also depicted damage at the southerly Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site west of the city of Kermanshah, significant damage was observed to warehouses, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.

Destruction was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have reportedly targeted sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog stated that the affected buildings were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Wider Fallout and Assessment

Defense experts indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iran's naval capability to carry out conventional attacks using its most significant vessels. But, it was noted that Iran retains the ability to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of drones, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The total scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure remains unclear, with hostilities reportedly ongoing. Pictures also reveals widespread damage to the command center of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also are reported to have been damaged in the capital city and across the country since the fighting escalated. Toll estimates from local officials indicate that a high number of civilians may have been killed in the strikes.

Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of satellite imagery will carry on to assess the changing battlefield picture.