🔗 Share this article

A wave of joint strikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged at least eleven warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, freshly analyzed orbital imagery reveal, with rocket sites and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show smoke billowing from multiple vessels on the start of the week.

Maritime Forces Incurred Substantial Losses

Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images indicated black smoke rising from the ship which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical evaluations indicate that no fewer than a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "hit or sunk". Pictures of the south end of the harbor reveal smoke rising from the Makran, while additional ships appear to be damaged, with one of them visibly ablaze.

Over at Konarak, images show multiple harmed vessels, with expert review identifying strikes against six ships. Photos taken on Monday also show that multiple buildings at the installation have been demolished.

"For decades the Tehran government has harassed global maritime traffic," an American commander declared. "Now, there is not one Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some ships reportedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports indicated that an Iranian vessel was sinking near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Targeted

The destruction of Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as further objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also revealed damage at the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to storage buildings, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Damage was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the border with neighboring nations.

Perhaps most notably, the most recent series of attacks have reportedly targeted installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog said that the damaged structures were used for access to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Observers suggested that the strikes appeared to have "largely neutralized" the Iranian navy's capability to conduct conventional attacks using its largest vessels. However, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The total scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks said to be ongoing. Imagery also reveals widespread destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A large number of non-military structures also appear to have been damaged in the capital and throughout Iran since the fighting escalated. Casualty figures from inside Iran indicate that many hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of aerial photographs will carry on to document the changing scope of damage.