🔗 Share this article

A wave of American and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged a minimum of 11 Iran's navy ships starting Saturday, new aerial photos show, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also coming under fire.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show black smoke pouring from multiple ships on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Assets Sustained Major Losses

Among the vessels destroyed was the Makran, the country's most sizable ship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos displayed black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence reports state that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "hit or sunk". Imagery of the southern end of the port reveal plumes ascending from the Makran, while additional ships appear to be harmed, with one clearly on fire.

Over at Konarak, images reveal multiple stricken ships, with expert review identifying impacts on six ships. Images from Monday also indicate that several facilities at the installation have been leveled.

"For a long time the Iran's leadership has harassed commercial vessels," an American commander declared. "At present, there is no vessel from Iran at sea in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Additional information suggested that an Iranian vessel was foundering off the coast of Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Atomic Locations Targeted

Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were listed as additional objectives of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were hit.

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

Destruction was also observed at a radar site at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the most recent series of attacks have apparently focused on sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the damaged structures were used for entry to the site's below-ground enrichment facility and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Wider Fallout and Analysis

Observers stated that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's ability to conduct traditional warfare using its largest vessels. However, it was noted that Iran retains the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly ongoing. Photos also reveals considerable destruction to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of non-military structures also seem to have been damaged in the capital city and throughout the country since the conflict escalated. Reports of deaths from local officials state that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the attacks.

As the situation develops, analysis of space-based data will carry on to track the changing military landscape.