🔗 Share this article

Multiple US and Israeli attacks has reportedly destroyed or damaged a minimum of 11 warships belonging to Iran starting Saturday, freshly analyzed aerial photos reveal, with launch facilities and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Pictures of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the strategic Hormuz Strait and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from several vessels on recent days.

Naval Forces Incurred Substantial Losses

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos showed dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence evaluations state that no fewer than a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern end of the port depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be damaged, with a single one clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, images show numerous damaged vessels, with expert review identifying damage to a half-dozen warships. Images taken on Monday also demonstrate that several structures at the base have been demolished.

"For many years the Iranian regime has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command stated. "At present, there is no Iranian vessel at sea in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by haze or plumes, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Additional information indicated that one Iranian ship was foundering off the coast of Sri Lankan territorial waters, resulting in a rescue operation.

Missile Sites and Nuclear Facilities Hit

Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were declared as additional objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southerly 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 unmanned aircraft site west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was seen to sheds, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.

Destruction was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighboring nations.

Significantly, the new round of strikes have reportedly hit sites at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the core of the country's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the facility's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was anticipated.

Broader Impact and Analysis

Observers indicated that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's ability to sustain standard operations using its most significant warships. But, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The overall scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes said to be persisting. Photos also indicates considerable destruction to the main offices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

A large number of non-military structures also appear to have been struck in the capital city and across the country since the conflict escalated. Toll estimates from ground sources state that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the attacks.

With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of aerial photographs will continue to document the evolving scope of damage.