🔗 Share this article

A wave of joint strikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships since the weekend, new orbital imagery show, with missile bases and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas port installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show smoke billowing from several warships on Monday and Tuesday.

Maritime Forces Sustained Major Losses

Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, the country's biggest warship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery displayed thick smoke pouring from the vessel which had been moored at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical assessments indicate that no fewer than five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern part of the harbor show smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other vessels appear to be damaged, with one of them seen burning.

Over at the Konarak base, photos display multiple damaged vessels, with expert review identifying impacts on a half-dozen warships. Photos from the start of the week also indicate that a number of facilities at the base have been demolished.

"For many years the Iran's leadership has disrupted international shipping," the head of US Central Command declared. "Today, there is no Iranian vessel underway in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of vessels allegedly sunk may have been concealed in satellite images by weather conditions or battle damage, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Additional information suggested that a ship from Iran was going down near Sri Lankan waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.

Missile Sites and Nuclear Locations Attacked

Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the stopping atomic bomb programs were listed as additional aims of the military strikes. Aerial imagery also showed strikes on the southerly Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where weapons bunkers and bunkers were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, extensive damage was observed to storage buildings, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Impact was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase military airport in eastern parts of the country, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Of particular note, the new round of attacks have apparently focused on installations at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the core of the country's nuclear programme. An international watchdog commented that the affected buildings were used for entry to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was anticipated.

Broader Consequences and Analysis

Observers suggested that the offensive appeared to have "significantly degraded" the Iranian navy's ability to conduct traditional warfare using its biggest warships. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the capacity to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "ghost fleet" of tankers.

The total scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure is still uncertain, with strikes reportedly continuing. Imagery also shows extensive destruction to the main offices of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A large number of public facilities also appear to have been damaged in the capital and throughout Iran since the fighting escalated. Toll estimates from ground sources state that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the attacks.

As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will carry on to document the unfolding battlefield picture.