🔗 Share this article

A wave of joint strikes has allegedly sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran since the weekend, recently obtained satellite images demonstrate, with launch facilities and atomic facilities also coming under fire.

Images of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and contains the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, depict smoke billowing from a number of ships on the start of the week.

Maritime Forces Incurred Substantial Losses

Among the targets eliminated was the Makran, the country's biggest warship which had functioned as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed black smoke emanating from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Intelligence assessments indicate that no fewer than five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the southern part of the harbor depict smoke rising from the Makran, while two other ships are visibly harmed, with a single one seen burning.

Over at Konarak, photos display multiple harmed ships, with expert review identifying strikes against six vessels. Pictures taken on the start of the week also show that a number of buildings at the base have been demolished.

"For decades the Iranian regime has disrupted commercial vessels," an American commander said. "Now, there is not a single vessel from Iran operational in the Persian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or struck at sea, and have yet to be fully confirmed. Separate reports suggested that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lanka's territorial waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Installations and Atomic Locations Hit

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of atomic bomb programs were declared as additional aims of the air campaign. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were targeted.

At the Choqa Balk-e unmanned aircraft site to the west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was seen to sheds, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.

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 most recent series of attacks have apparently targeted sites at Natanz – long said to be at the center of the country's nuclear programme. An international watchdog stated that the affected structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.

Wider Impact and Assessment

Military analysts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capacity to conduct conventional attacks using its largest warships. Nevertheless, it was stressed that Iran retains the option to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, small submarines and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers.

The overall scope of the destruction caused to Iran's defense infrastructure remains unclear, with attacks said to be persisting. Pictures also shows considerable destruction to the headquarters of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the capital Tehran.

Numerous of civilian buildings also are reported to have been struck in the capital and across the country since the fighting began. Casualty figures from ground sources suggest that a high number of civilians may have been fatally injured in the strikes.

Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of satellite imagery will persist to track the unfolding battlefield picture.