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A series of American and Israeli strikes has allegedly sunk or crippled at least eleven Iran's navy ships starting the weekend, recently obtained aerial photos demonstrate, with launch facilities and nuclear sites also being targeted.

Photographs of the southerly Konarak naval military port and the Bandar Abbas facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the headquarters of the Iran's naval force, reveal smoke billowing from multiple ships on recent days.

Naval Forces Incurred Major Losses

Among the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Aerial imagery showed dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been stationed at the Bandar Abbas base.

Analytical reports state that no fewer than five ships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Pictures of the south end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the IRINS Makran, while two other ships are visibly impacted, with one clearly on fire.

At the Konarak base, images reveal several harmed vessels, with expert review pointing to strikes against six ships. Pictures taken on the start of the week also indicate that a number of structures at the installation have been leveled.

"For a long time the Iranian regime has harassed commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command stated. "Today, there is not one vessel from Iran underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will continue."

A number of ships allegedly destroyed 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 suggested that an Iranian vessel was sinking near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation.

Missile Installations and Nuclear Facilities Hit

Neutralizing Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as further aims of the military strikes. Satellite images also depicted strikes on the southern Khorgu and northwestern Tabriz facilities, and at the Konarak air air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were struck.

At the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, extensive destruction was seen to sheds, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems.

Destruction was also noted at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, close to the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Perhaps most notably, the new round of attacks have reportedly focused on sites at the Natanz complex – considered at the center of the country's nuclear programme. An international watchdog stated that the damaged structures were used for entry to the facility's underground enrichment facility and that "no release of radioactive material" was expected.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Observers stated that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capability to carry out traditional warfare using its most significant warships. Nevertheless, it was emphasised that Iran maintains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mini-submarines and its so-called "ghost fleet" of oil ships.

The full scope of the damage caused to Iran's defense facilities remains unclear, with attacks reportedly ongoing. Imagery also indicates extensive destruction to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.

A significant number of civilian buildings also seem to have been hit in the capital and across the country after the conflict started. Reports of deaths from inside Iran state that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the strikes.

As the situation develops, review of satellite imagery will continue to document the evolving scope of damage.