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Multiple joint airstrikes has allegedly eliminated or harmed at least 11 Iranian naval vessels since the weekend, recently obtained satellite images demonstrate, with missile bases and atomic facilities also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, depict plumes of smoke rising from a number of warships on recent days.

Naval Forces Sustained Substantial Losses

Included in the ships sunk was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a drone carrier. Aerial imagery displayed thick smoke pouring from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports suggest that no fewer than five ships at the port were "hit or sunk". Photos of the south end of the harbor reveal plumes ascending from the Makran, while two other vessels are visibly damaged, with one of them visibly ablaze.

At the Konarak base, photos reveal several stricken ships, with expert review identifying damage to six vessels. Pictures taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that several buildings at the base have been demolished.

"For many years the Iran's leadership has harassed international shipping," a senior US military official said. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran underway in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of vessels reportedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been conclusively proven. Other accounts indicated that a ship from Iran was foundering off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Sites and Atomic Facilities Attacked

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the stopping nuclear weapons development were stated as other objectives of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were hit.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility to the west of the city of Kermanshah, significant destruction was seen to sheds, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.

Impact was also seen at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the border with neighboring nations.

Of particular note, the new round of attacks have reportedly targeted facilities at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme. The UN's atomic energy body stated that the damaged buildings were used for entry to the site's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Consequences and Assessment

Defense experts indicated that the strikes appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's capacity to sustain traditional warfare using its largest warships. Nevertheless, it was noted that Tehran still has the option to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The overall scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities is still uncertain, with hostilities reportedly persisting. Pictures also shows widespread destruction to the main offices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also are reported to have been damaged in the capital and across Iran since the hostilities started. Casualty figures from local officials indicate that many hundreds of non-combatants may have been lost their lives in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, review of aerial photographs will continue to assess the unfolding scope of damage.