🔗 Share this article

A series of joint strikes has reportedly sunk or crippled a minimum of 11 Iranian naval vessels since Saturday, freshly analyzed satellite images show, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also coming under fire.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iranian navy, depict smoke billowing from multiple ships on recent days.

Naval Fleet Sustained Substantial Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's largest naval vessel which had served as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed black smoke emanating from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical assessments state that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Imagery of the southern part of the harbor reveal smoke emanating from the Makran, while another pair of ships seem to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.

At Konarak, images show numerous harmed ships, with expert review identifying impacts on a half-dozen warships. Pictures from the start of the week also show that several facilities at the base have been demolished.

"For decades the Iran's leadership has threatened commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command stated. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of ships reportedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by haze or plumes, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports suggested that one Iranian ship was foundering near Sri Lanka's waters, prompting a search and rescue mission.

Rocket Installations and Nuclear Facilities Attacked

Neutralizing Tehran's launch facilities and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were listed as additional goals of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed impacts against the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were targeted.

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

Destruction was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, near the frontier with neighboring nations.

Of particular note, the new round of strikes have apparently focused on sites at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's enrichment efforts. A global monitoring agency stated that the damaged structures were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no radiological consequence" was expected.

Wider Fallout and Assessment

Observers stated that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval ability to conduct standard operations using its most significant vessels. But, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The total scale of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities remains unclear, with attacks reportedly persisting. Pictures also shows extensive destruction to the command center of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been damaged in the capital and across Iran since the conflict escalated. Toll estimates from local officials state that hundreds of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

With the conflict ongoing, monitoring of space-based data will continue to document the changing military landscape.