A wave of American and Israeli attacks has according to analysis eliminated or harmed a minimum of 11 warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, freshly analyzed satellite images reveal, with rocket sites and atomic facilities also sustaining hits.
Images of the southerly Konarak military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, show plumes of smoke rising from several warships on the start of the week.
Included in the vessels destroyed was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had functioned as a drone carrier. Satellite images displayed thick smoke rising from the vessel which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
Analytical evaluations suggest that at least five ships at the port were "struck or destroyed". Photos of the southern part of the harbor depict smoke rising from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships are visibly harmed, with one of them clearly on fire.
Over at Konarak, images reveal several stricken vessels, with analysis pointing to damage to a half-dozen warships. Photos taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that multiple facilities at the installation have been destroyed.
"For many years the Tehran government has threatened international shipping," the head of US Central Command said. "Today, there is no Iranian vessel underway in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."
Some ships allegedly destroyed may have been obscured in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or targeted offshore, and have not been conclusively proven. Separate reports stated that a ship from Iran was sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a search and rescue mission.
Eliminating Tehran's launch facilities and the hindering of nuclear weapons development were stated as other aims of the offensive. Satellite images also showed damage at the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile facilities, and at the Konarak air base, where missile storage facilities and fortifications were hit.
At the Choqa Balk-e drone drone base to the west of Kermanshah, significant damage was seen to sheds, bunkers and unmanned aircraft systems.
Impact was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase airbase in eastern Iran, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Of particular note, the most recent series of strikes have apparently hit facilities at the Natanz complex – long said to be at the center of Iran's enrichment efforts. The UN's atomic energy body commented that the damaged buildings were used for access to the site's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.
Military analysts stated that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval ability to sustain traditional warfare using its largest vessels. But, it was emphasised that Tehran maintains the capacity to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, small submarines and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.
The overall scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure is still uncertain, with hostilities reportedly ongoing. Photos also shows extensive destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.
A large number of civilian buildings also appear to have been struck in the capital and throughout the country after the conflict escalated. Toll estimates from local officials suggest that hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the attacks.
As the situation develops, monitoring of satellite imagery will persist to document the changing scope of damage.
