🔗 Share this article

Multiple American and Israeli strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled at least 11 Iranian naval vessels starting Saturday, new satellite images show, with missile bases and enrichment plants also being targeted.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iranian navy, show black smoke pouring from multiple vessels on recent days.

Maritime Assets Incurred Major Losses

Among the ships sunk was the Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed dark plumes emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Intelligence evaluations suggest that no fewer than a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the southern part of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while additional ships seem to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.

Over at Konarak, photos reveal numerous damaged ships, with expert review identifying strikes against a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also show that a number of structures at the installation have been leveled.

"For a long time the Tehran government has threatened commercial vessels," an American commander said. "At present, there is not a single Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will persist."

A number of vessels allegedly destroyed may have been hidden in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports indicated that an Iranian vessel was going down off the coast of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Rocket Bases and Nuclear Facilities Attacked

The destruction of Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as other objectives of the offensive. Aerial imagery also revealed strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site to the west of Kermanshah, significant destruction was observed to storage buildings, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.

Destruction was also noted at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with neighboring nations.

Of particular note, the latest wave of attacks have reportedly targeted sites at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the core of Iran's atomic program. The UN's atomic energy body said that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.

Broader Consequences and Assessment

Observers indicated that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capability to sustain conventional attacks using its most significant warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Tehran still has the option to launch irregular strikes at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The overall extent of the destruction caused to Iranian military facilities remains unclear, with strikes said to be ongoing. Imagery also shows widespread damage to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also seem to have been struck in the capital and across Iran after the fighting began. Toll estimates from inside Iran suggest that a high number of non-combatants may have been fatally injured in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, review of aerial photographs will continue to document the changing battlefield picture.