🔗 Share this article

A wave of American and Israeli airstrikes has reportedly destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos reveal, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southern Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas installation, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the main command of the Iran's naval force, depict smoke billowing from a number of vessels on recent days.

Maritime Forces Sustained Substantial Losses

Among the targets eliminated was the Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Orbital photos displayed dark plumes emanating from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence reports suggest that no fewer than five vessels at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the south end of the port show plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while another pair of ships appear to be harmed, with a single one seen burning.

At the Konarak base, images reveal several harmed ships, with analysis pointing to impacts on six ships. Pictures taken on Monday also show that a number of buildings at the base have been leveled.

"For decades the Iranian regime has disrupted commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command said. "Now, there is no Iranian vessel underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Other accounts suggested that a ship from Iran was foundering near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Facilities Attacked

Eliminating Iranian missile bases and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were stated as additional objectives of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted impacts against the southern Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

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

Of particular note, the new round of strikes have reportedly focused on sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of the country's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency stated that the affected structures were used for access to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Defense experts stated that the strikes appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capability to conduct conventional attacks using its biggest warships. But, it was stressed that Tehran maintains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The total extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure remains unclear, with strikes said to be persisting. Pictures also indicates widespread damage to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of public facilities also are reported to have been hit in the capital city and across the country after the fighting started. Reports of deaths from inside Iran suggest that many hundreds of civilians may have been lost their lives in the attacks.

Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to assess the evolving battlefield picture.