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A series of joint strikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged a minimum of 11 Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos show, with launch facilities and nuclear sites also being targeted.

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

Naval Fleet Sustained Significant Losses

Included in the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had functioned as a drone carrier. Orbital photos showed thick smoke emanating from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical reports state that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern part of the port depict plumes ascending from the Makran, while two other ships appear to be impacted, with one of them seen burning.

At the Konarak base, images show several damaged ships, with analysis identifying impacts on six ships. Images taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that multiple buildings at the base have been demolished.

"For a long time the Iran's leadership has threatened global maritime traffic," a senior US military official said. "Today, there is not one Iranian vessel underway in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will persist."

Some vessels allegedly destroyed may have been concealed in aerial photos by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Additional information indicated that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Bases and Atomic Facilities Attacked

Neutralizing Iranian missile bases and the hindering of enrichment activities were stated as additional aims of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed impacts against the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, widespread damage was observed to storage buildings, bunkers and UAV launching apparatus.

Destruction was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the new round of strikes have apparently hit sites at Natanz – long said to be at the core 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 nuclear fallout" was likely.

Broader Consequences and Assessment

Observers indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capability to sustain conventional attacks using its biggest vessels. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The total scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure is still uncertain, with attacks reportedly continuing. Imagery also shows widespread destruction to the main offices of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of non-military structures also seem to have been struck in the capital city and across the country since the fighting started. Casualty figures from inside Iran state that a high number of civilians may have been lost their lives in the bombardment.

Amid continuing hostilities, review of satellite imagery will carry on to document the evolving battlefield picture.